Liu Yanbo has been obsessed with "xiaorenshu" since he was a boy and was attracted to roadside stands selling the palm-sized illustrated books. Vendors would rip the covers off the books and pin them up to attract customers. He could rent a book for as little as 0.01 yuan each.

Once Liu started reading he found it difficult to stop and even though it was time to go home and he had been squatting for hours, he still did not want to leave.

He recalls wanting to buy a xiaorenshu titled Huang Jiguang, about a hero who took a bullet in his chest during the Korean War (1950-53). 

The book cost just 0.3 yuan but it took the young Liu several months to raise the funds. He even went without breakfast to save the money, but when he eventually had saved the cash, he was sorely disappointed to find it had sold out. "I will never forget how devastated I was at that time," the 45-year-old recalls.

"I certainly have a fascination for xiaorenshu. I was destined to be involved in the business," the Beijinger says at his shop, which boasts the largest collection of xiaorenshu in the city.

The 34-sq-m store in Panjiayuan, Beijing, has over 100,000 different kinds of xiaorenshu. A sign hangs on one of the walls, proclaiming: "The library of xiaorenshu".

Many old books are on display, covered with plastic film for protection. For many people these books rekindle their childhood memories.

Liu is plain featured and average in height. He talks slowly, with a strong Beijing accent and is always puffing on a cigarette. Smoke drifts around him as he talks, giving him the air of a thinker.

He is a natural hoarder and has a collection of jade, porcelain, wooden furniture and even tins. His wife, Li Xia, who also works in the shop, complains that their home is like a warehouse.

But to Liu, his collection of xiaorenshu is most valuable.

"I value it as one of the quintessential forms of Chinese culture. It's a unique kind of art like Peking Opera. Compared with Western comics, Chinese xiaorenshu have more realistic painting and excellent drawing skills."