Chen Qingzu has an extensive collection of brassieres

Apr 26, 2014 15:33 GMT  ·  By

A Chinese man has collected thousands of bras over a 20-year period in a bid to raise social awareness of women's breast health.

Chen Qingzu, from South China’s Hainan province, has an impressive collection of brassieres, which he has gathered while touring colleges around China for public health seminars focused on breast cancer.

The 56-year-old health worker has more than 5,000 bras of various colors, sizes and shapes, which were donated to him by students of more than 30 colleges and universities he had visited during his tours. The collection is currently on display on the walls and ceiling of his house in the Yacheng town of Sanya, which looks more like a lingerie store.

Many women have thought he was a bra fetishist, but Chen explained to them that his purpose was to promote well-fitting bras. During his visits to college campuses, Mr. Qingzu talked about chest health and the dangers of wearing the wrong size of bra.

“It’s my job to educate the public about the importance of health checkups, but my special interest is as an advocate for female health relating to their breasts and this was a good way of going about it. Many women wear tight or smaller-size bras to show off their figures, which would do harm to their breasts,” Chen explained his bizarre hobby, according to Information Nigeria.

He says he was inspired to start an awareness campaign about chest health by an internship experience at a hospital in the 1980s, where he saw many women lose their breasts after suffering from cancer.

His desire to help women is so strong that he would do anything to accomplish his goal. In November last year, he even wore a bra in public and wandered about on Shengli Road, in an attempt to show his determination.

Now, he wants to start a museum to exhibit his entire collection.

“All women wear them so I want to build a museum devoted entirely to them with all sorts of colors and sizes on display. The bras reflect the changes in society in the past 20 years and I hope the serious message of chest health and cancer prevention will come across for the people who visit it,” Chen says.

He presented his plan to the local council, which is now considering donating a building to him to display the 5,000 pieces of lingerie.

Chen envisions his museum like a temple dedicated to female body shapers, where the entrance will be free for all visitors. But before he opens it, the man wants to double his already extensive collection.