Recently, the National Center for the Performing Arts' "Into the World in Records" characteristic art education brand invited collector Wang Shilin to hold a lecture on "Time Does Not Dilute Nostalgia, Time Lives Up to the Classics". At the event, Wang Shilin not only told the audience about the history and development of vinyl records, but also donated 40 precious old records to the National Center for the Performing Arts.
This is not the first time Wang Shilin has donated records: since entering the field of collection in 2008, he has held record exhibitions at the National Center for the Performing Arts, the National Museum, the China Media Museum, the China Conservatory of Music and other institutions, and the collection has been exhibited by the National Center for the Performing Arts, the National Museum, the National Library Museum, Xiangshan Revolution Memorial Hall, China Media Museum and other institutions. In 2018, he donated more than 400 precious old records to the National Center for the Performing Arts; on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2019, he donated 33 precious records including the first edition sample of "The National Anthem of the People's Republic of China" and "Singing the Motherland" to the National Museum. Vinyl records have received widespread attention from society.
In Wang Shilin's view, collection is magical. In an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily, Wang Shilin said, "Those old objects are all sentimental and need to be treated well." Talking about why he donated his beloved collections that he painstakingly collected for free, Wang Shilin said, "Collection is a matter of You can’t just keep them in your own warehouse. Good things must be displayed and shared with everyone. These collections themselves are part of social value and public resources. Donating them also returns their original attributes.”
Collecting records already exists. More than 10,000
Wang Shilin worked in government agencies in his early years. In 2002, he joined the International Liaison Department of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and was responsible for liaison work. After the 2008 Olympics, he became the general manager of a cultural company. This year, by chance, a friend took Wang Shilin to the home of Zhao Qingwei, a well-known collector in Beijing. The old photos, drawings, letters and records full of chronology made Wang Shilin feel moved. "I am a very nostalgic person, and I have always been fond of old things since I was a child. Putting so many old objects together touched me a lot."
What Wang Shilin didn't expect was that that experience made him change his mind ever since. Fall in love with collecting. Whenever he is free, he goes to Zhao Qingwei to discuss collecting. "It was quite blind at first, and I accepted all the messy things. Later I felt that this wasn't quite right, and there should be a direction." In the end, he chose the direction of music. "My father plays the cello and my mother dances. Under the influence of my parents, I have always been interested in music. I have studied cello since I was a child and have studied for 10 years." His love for music did not allow Wang Shilin to embark on the path of an artist, but it made him Collection opens a window. Anything related to music - vinyl records, hand-cranked gramophones, tube radios, drawings and music materials, etc. are all included in Wang Shilin's collection. According to Wang Shilin's rough statistics, he now has a collection of more than 10,000 records, 150 tube radios, 20 gramophones, as well as music books, manuscripts, music archives and many other collections.
The Obsession with "First"
People who engage in collections have various obsessions, and Wang Shilin certainly cannot escape this rule. There was a time when he was keen on collecting various records related to "firsts": the first record of New China, the first People's Record, the first LP record of New China, the first film record, the first A stereo record….
For Wang Shilin, a particularly memorable collection is the old record of "Yellow River Cantata" numbered m001. In 2010, Zhao Qingwei had a batch of records to sell, about 1,300 records. After Wang Shilin found out, he ran to Zhao Qingwei's house and said, "I randomly picked out one of the records. It was in very good condition and brand new. It was this "Yellow River Cantata". There were 1,300 records in dozens of boxes, and I picked this one up at once. Zhang, I really have a deep connection with this record. "
Xian Xinghai's "Yellow River Cantata" has a very important position in the history of modern Chinese music. "I studied music when I was a child and I knew the status of this work very well, and I also know this work. I really like it. And this record is China’s first LP.The texture of LP records is relatively dense and can store a large amount of music. Ordinary records can only play for about 4 minutes, while LP records can play for 17 to 20 minutes. At that time, I took this record back and studied it for a week. I thought it was very good, so I decided to collect all 1,300 records. "In the end, Wang Shilin spent 250,000 to collect these 1,300 records. From then on, records began to be included in his collection.
Another record that impressed Wang Shilin was the record numbered 38206, "38 is In the 38th year of the Republic of China, that is, 1949, 206 was its number. The name of this record is "You Are the Lighthouse", also known as "Follow the Communist Party". It is the first record of our new China and is very famous in the collection circle. "Wang Shilin talked endlessly about his favorite things in his collection, "In June 1949, the first record factory in New China, the Great China Record Factory, resumed production. The first batch of 6 records was produced, and 38206 was the first one. It was very meaningful and had a good theme, so the price was very expensive. At that time, I also bought it from a collector in Fujian, gritting my teeth and spending 90,000 yuan. "
His 55th birthday was the first time he was searched for a donation because of his donation.
As his collection grew, Wang Shilin's desire to hold a solo exhibition became stronger. In 2017, he donated more than 200 records to the China Media Museum and held a solo exhibition. “I took the lead at that time, because the domestic vinyl collection had not yet held a solo exhibition. "That time, many people came to see Wang Shilin's exhibition, which made him very happy: He didn't expect that his collection brought happiness to so many people.
Since then, Wang Shilin has been out of control, with consecutive exhibitions in 2018 and 2019 Collections were donated to the National Center for the Performing Arts and the National Museum respectively. On August 5, 2019, Wang Shilin donated 33 vinyl records including the first edition of "The National Anthem of the People's Republic of China" and "Singing the Motherland" as well as documentation on their release. "The "National Anthem of the People's Republic of China" record donated to the National Museum was the first sample in 1949, and only 10 copies were made that year. I bought the first one. "Wang Shilin donated it to the National Museum. Later, the National Museum placed it in Hall 1, along with the first salute of the People's Republic of China, the first plaque of the Central Government of the People's Republic of China, the first daily newspaper of the People's Republic of China, etc. The cultural relics were put together. "
The day of donation happened to be Wang Shilin's birthday. "I chose that day myself, and it was very meaningful." Wang Shilin said, "On the day of the event, the National Expo happened to be holding a very important exhibition celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Many reporters came. After they attended the event, It was transferred to me. So there were a lot of reporters that time, and I was on the hot search list. It can be said that it gave me a very meaningful 55th birthday.”
The National Museum attaches great importance to Wang Shilin’s donation and said that this donation was very important. To a certain extent, it makes up for the National Museum's shortcomings in record collections and enriches the content and form of relevant exhibitions. This also makes Wang Shilin very pleased, "Only when the country preserves these precious cultural relics can they be preserved for a long time. This is what I should do as a citizen of Beijing."
You can't have everything, because if you have too much, you won't be able to love it anymore
Collection The circle has its own rules of operation. According to Wang Shilin, "This circle is not big, only about 800 people. Some people specialize in collecting and selling records, but some collectors can only get in and out. Like me, sometimes I sell and share some unimportant items. Go out and keep some high-quality items."
Wang Shilin basically bought his collection with real money, "because no one will give you anything in the collecting circle." But there are exceptions, as Wang Shilin has become famous in the collecting circle. People around him also know that he collects records, so many friends will leave him records at home. "These are small quantities and not very valuable. People kindly give them to me, and I accept them all."
And Those good collections come from a wider range of sources. "We have a collection group, and sometimes when some good collections come out, everyone gets wind of it. I also have downlines, and sometimes in order to get a good item, I ask my downlines to help find it. But there are also Reasons for strength: A record worth tens of thousands is already very expensive, and most people cannot afford it.Collectibles pop up all the time, and if you keep buying them like this, most people won’t be able to keep up with their money. So you can’t want everything in your collection. If you have too many things, you won’t be able to love them anymore. "
Today, on the one hand, Wang Shilin is the person in charge of Beijing Times Global International Travel Service, and on the other hand, he is doing his favorite collection. "People who collect are people who don't have much money, so they buy things when they have money. I usually live frugally, but whenever I see something good, I sometimes borrow money to buy it. No way, I have an inexplicable feeling for this thing. Fortunately, my family is very supportive. ”
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Tian Wanting
Photography/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Li Na
editor/Qiao Ying
