Man collects thousands of bras over 20 years

(ECNS) – A man in Sanya, South China's Hainan province, has collected more than 5,000 bras from female students at more than 30 colleges and universities over 20 years, according to the South China Metropolis Daily.

Chen Qingzu, 56, who wore a bra in public in Sanya in November 2013, said he hoped to bring more awareness about breast health issues with his collection.

His collection is kept on display in his house in Yacheng town of Sanya.

Chen said whenever he travels to another city, he contacts local college students and asks them to give him their ill-fitting bras. "Many girls thought I was a bra fetishist."

When he explained to the students that his aim is to promote well-fitting bras, he usually got the bras, Chen added.

Chen claims that wearing ill-fitting bras could cause breast disease.

"Many women wear tight or smaller-size bras to show off their figures, which would do harm to their breasts."

His internship experience at a hospital in the 1980s inspired him to promote women's awareness of breast health, Chen said. "I've seen many women suffer from breast disease and lose their breasts."

Chen said one of his dreams was to establish a bra collection house to exhibit bras and raise social awareness about female breast health.