Guangzhou shopkeepers seek out eclectic nostalgia

"Both my wife and I like old items that are no longer produced, and they have value for collectors," he said.

Tang said he once spent more than 80,000 HK dollars ($10,282) to purchase an old Rolex watch at a foreign antique shop when he traveled abroad years ago.

His wife has now purchased more than 500 handbags of different brands, all of which were produced in limited quantities in the previous century.

Tang said many old items were actually made by hand and are of high quality — usually the epitome of their era.