A Farewell to a Century of Porcelain Wisdom

In Memory of Geng Baochang (1922 – 2025)

The world of Chinese cultural heritage mourns the passing of a legend. Geng Baochang (1922–2025) — China’s foremost authority on ancient ceramics — passed away peacefully in Beijing at the age of 103.

Gentle, kind, and profoundly wise, Geng embodied compassion, insight, and quiet strength throughout his long and extraordinary life.

For more than seven decades at the Palace Museum, he personally examined over 360,000 porcelain artifacts, leaving behind a legacy that bridges scholarship, craftsmanship, and humanity.

A pioneer of underwater archaeology, he played a central role in the “Nanhai No.1” shipwreck project, unearthing more than 180,000 cultural relics and illuminating the ancient Maritime Silk Road. His landmark work, Appraisal of Ming and Qing Ceramics, remains a timeless cornerstone of ceramic scholarship.

From Apprentice to Master — A Life Shaped by Porcelain

Born in Beijing in 1922 into a family once engaged in jade and jewelry, Geng’s path was shaped by hardship, humility, and a boundless curiosity for beauty. At fourteen, he apprenticed at the renowned antique shop Dunhuazhai, under the guidance of the legendary ceramic connoisseur Sun Yingzhou.

Through years of polishing, cataloguing, and quietly observing, he developed an extraordinary sensitivity — the ability to distinguish authenticity by touch and intuition. He once burned his fingers while lighting a guest’s pipe but refused to drop the match, unwilling to interrupt his teacher’s conversation — a small yet powerful glimpse of his devotion to learning.

After ten years of apprenticeship, the once “foolish boy,” as his teacher affectionately called him, had become a true expert. At twenty-four, he opened his own shop, Zhenhuazhai, before joining the Palace Museum in 1956 — beginning a seventy-year journey that would define modern Chinese ceramic study.

Scholarship and Legacy

At the Palace Museum, Geng established the now-famous Four Pillars of Porcelain Appraisal — form, pattern, glaze, and mark — a system that shaped generations of experts and remains fundamental to the study of Chinese ceramics today.

He personally escorted over five hundred national treasures abroad for exhibition, even surviving a hijacking incident in the United Arab Emirates with courage and composure, guided by his conviction: “If I live, the treasures live.”

“True collecting is a form of cultural joy — a dialogue with history and beauty itself.”

Humility, Kindness, and Devotion

In the 1980s, Geng donated more than thirty family heirlooms to the Palace Museum, keeping only a single table for daily meals. He often laughed, saying, “That table was my sister-in-law’s insistence — one must at least have a place to eat.”

Even in his nineties, he maintained perfect eyesight and posture, visiting the Palace Museum each morning to continue studying and sharing his knowledge. His quiet humility and gentle wisdom inspired generations of scholars who regarded him not only as a teacher but as a moral compass — a model of grace, clarity, and dedication.

Longquan Celadon and the Beauty of the World

Among all ceramics, Geng’s greatest love was Longquan celadon. He once said, “Longquan is jade made from earth — a conversation between heaven, water, and fire.”

In May 2019, the Palace Museum launched the exhibition “The World of Longquan — Longquan Celadon and Globalization.” At the opening ceremony, 97-year-old Geng attended in person, inscribing with a steady hand the phrases “The World of Longquan” and “The Supreme Celadon” — a moving tribute to the art that defined his life.

The exhibition, jointly organized by the Palace Museum, the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, and the Lishui Municipal Government, brought together over 800 artifacts from 18 provinces and 11 international institutions. It celebrated Longquan’s role as a vessel of cultural exchange and a symbol of China’s enduring artistic spirit.

Eternal as Celadon

When the Palace Museum celebrated his 90th birthday in 2012, more than a hundred scholars gathered to honor him. The museum presented a painting, Magu Offering Longevity, and a poem that praised his lifelong devotion to the preservation of cultural heritage.

As this century-long journey returns to the clay and glaze he loved, his spirit remains serene and enduring — bright, pure, and everlasting like celadon itself. Through his students, his writings, and the countless treasures he protected, his kindness, wisdom, and legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.