A collector views lianhuanhua on display before an auction in Beijing. Photo provided to China Daily

Romance of the Three Kingdoms tells the story of the many wars among feudal lords in China at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220). The first lianhuan-hua edition of the novel, published by the Shanghai People's Art Publishing House, came in a set of 60 books. All parts of the lianhuanhua weren't released at once, says Wang.

"I bought them one by one, from the first book in 1957, to the last in 1961."

In the latest version, the novel is again divided into some 60 parts, with most of the original paintings reprinted. Some visuals that were lost over time have been given a modern touch.

"At the time, the price of one book was around 0.2 yuan, and I usually saved a part of the money for breakfast to buy them," says Wang, who has collected more than 23,000 books.

During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), when many works of literature were destroyed because of their feudal themes, the lianhuanhua of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was no longer printed. But amid all that Wang was able to hide his books and turn into a collector later in life.