It is hard to stop Tu Yueming when he starts talking about his collection of memorabilia documenting China at the Olympics.

Tu Yueming shows off his Olympic collections in his Beijing apartment. [China Daily]

"I can tell the story behind every single thing I own," he told China Daily. "I'm pretty much an expert on China's Olympic history now."

Over the last 23 years, the 42-year-old Beijinger has gathered everything he could find related to China's Olympic involvement.

His 10,000-plus treasures include 10,000 items like stamps, postcards, photos, clippings and souvenirs.

To help promote Olympic education among young Chinese, the Sinopec lab worker made 29 billboards from his collections and toured school campuses in the capital.

"My collection is a vivid Olympic history book," he said.

"Many people love my exhibitions because these items are very close to their daily life. Everyone can do it if they have the interest and perseverance."

Tu started stamp collecting in 1980 when this pastime was popular among city dwellers in the wake of the "cultural revolution" (1966 - 76).

He had no particular interest in the subject until 1984 when he attended China's first sports stamps exhibition and bought a set of postcards featuring Chinese Olympic champions.

In that year, China sent its first large delegation of 250 athletes to the Los Angeles Games after it restored its lawful seat at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Chinese Olympians won 15 gold medals at the event, with sharpshooter Xu Haifeng taking China's first gold. To celebrate the achievement, China launched a set of 15 Olympic postcards.

"I was so proud of our Olympians and really wanted to get their autographs," he recalled.

He sent the postcards to the Chinese Olympic champions through China's General Administration of Sports and, to his surprise, received signed postcards from all of them within four months.

"The first I got was from weightlifting champion Wu Shude," he said. "I couldn't believe my eyes."

What impressed Tu the most was the reply from China's women's volleyball team captain Lang Ping. She also invited her teammates, coaches and doctors to sign Tu's postcard.

Encouraged by this experience, Tu narrowed his focus to China at the Olympics.

The price of passion

In the early 1980s, Tu earned only 18 yuan ($2.5) a month and he spent most of this on stamps.

His hunting grounds are not limited to local stamp markets. Tu also buys stamps through overseas friends and at international auctions.

In order to get his collection right, Tu spent much of his savings on sports books and albums.

His passion for China's Olympic movement gained him a reputation among stamp traders.