A Museum,A Dream.docVIP

PAGE  PAGE 9 A Museum,A Dream 　　ANREN Town in Dayi County， Sichuan Province has been nicknamed “China’s museum town” as it houses many museums that display Chinese history and culture. One of them is a museum of old movierelated items. Its owner is Cao Guimin， a passionate collector. 　　Anren is also the hometown of Liu Wencai（1887-1949）， a famous landlord during the Re- public of China period （1912-1949）. The old movie museum just happens to occupy the mansion of Liu Yuanxuan， a prominent figure in Liu’s clan. 　　It feels as if you are going back in time upon entering this museum. It has on display over 20，000 posters of old movies from before the 1980s， more than 3，000 copies of old movies made before the 1970s， 3，000-odd comics of pre-1980s movies and old film magazines， six old projectors made before the 1970s， and countless tickets and bills of fare， as well as old film stereo sets. Cao has devoted over 20 years to establishing this museum and its comprehensive collection. 　　 Unique Collections 　　Divided into different exhibition zones， the museum has a nostalgic atmosphere， evoked with posters pasted on the wall of classic old movies such as Five Heroes on Langya Mountain and old film melodies playing which almost every Chinese knows ?C such as Why the Flowers Are So Red. There are also posters of iconic Chinese film stars such as Zhou Xuan （1918-1957） and Zhang Ruifang（1918-2012）. 　　Many “firsts” in China’s film history feature among Cao’s collection， such as the first movie ticket released by a cinema on the Nanchang Road in Shanghai in the early 1900s； the first book on film and cinema ?C How to Make a Movie ?C published in 1921； and the first administrative regulations on the operation of theaters published in 1930. Other precious items include a filmstrip of a battlefield in Europe during World War II and the book Hollywood ?C A Film Empire published in 1946. 　　Cao has another rare piece in his collection ?C a specimen of a banknote bearing t