As his collection grew, it left the family short of money, and Jia himself took on the look of a farmer, with his old clothes that were exposed to the wind and rain over the years. But he doesn't let that bother him too much because he has more important matters to attend to – the hundreds stone posts used for tying a horse to that he has leaning against the outside wall.

"I need to pay closer attention to them since cracks have begun appearing on the surface," Jia explains, heaving a sigh, then adding, "I should have put them in the house or at least in the courtyard, but I don’t have any space left."

And, he does admit feeling a bit guilty for his wife who has lived with him in the 24-square-meter space, and even cannot afford a new padded coat, then adds, “One rich friend offered me a BMW and a bottle of French perfume for my wife, but I refused him, 'cause Chinese pay attention to reciprocity, right? How could I pay him back," he says rhetorically.

Jia Bingshan knows every stone he’s collected and the history of each one. [Photo by Wang Zhendong/365jilin.com]

Back when Jia led a richer, urban life, he found it boring and, "I made up my mind to collect antiques with a Liao and Jin history and, the more the better." So, "Crazy Jia" quit his job and settled down here with his collection even if he has to pay rent from time to time.

"I chose to live in Nong'an, because of its closeness to Liao and Jin culture and I brought the stones home," he goes on, and, who knows, his collection's fate might change his. A local archaeologist called the collection “significant” because the Liao and Jin dynasties were governed by nomads and left few written records. And, the county government has shown an interest in supporting Jia and his collection and says it will do a better job in preserving it, and is looking for a feasible plan.

One architect from the city of Dalian paid a special visit to the collector, explaining, "I came here to see Jia’s collection and, if possible, I hope to design a museum for him."

As for the 54-year-old collector himself, he says he'll continue to look after his stones no matter what and concludes, "I'll collect some new ones, and want to get more people to understand Jilin and the historical past," still determined in his tone.