On the morning of November 16, 2025, at 9:00 AM, a farewell ceremony for Mr. Geng Baochang, a renowned expert in ancient Chinese ceramics, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee, Honorary President of the Chinese Ancient Ceramics Society, Research Fellow of the Palace Museum, Senior Member of the Academic Committee of the Palace Museum, and Honorary Director of the Institute of Ancient Ceramics of the Palace Museum Academy, was held at the East Hall of Babaoshan Funeral Home. Mr. Geng Baochang passed away in Beijing at 6:50 AM on November 10, 2025, at the age of 103.
Relevant national ministries and cultural heritage institutions sent condolences and wreaths, expressing their sympathies to Mr. Geng Baochang's family. More than 300 people attended the farewell ceremony, including officials and representatives from the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, various cultural heritage institutions, research institutions, and related organizations; members of the leadership team and staff of the Palace Museum; Mr. Geng Baochang's relatives, students, and people from all walks of life, expressing their remembrance and mourning for Mr. Geng Baochang.
Mr. Geng Baochang was born in Beijing in July 1922, with ancestral roots in Xinji City (formerly Shulu County), Hebei Province. He joined the Palace Museum in 1956 and retired in April 1994, but was rehired for many years. In 1991, he was among the first to receive a special government allowance from the State Council. In 2009, he was awarded the honorary title of "Outstanding Figure in China's Cultural Relics and Museums" by the former Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. In 2014, he received the 11th Hill Gold Medal from the Oriental Ceramic Society of the United Kingdom. In 2019, he was recognized as an advanced individual among retired cadres by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In 2020, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Palace Museum.
Cultivators of the Ancient Ceramics Appraisal Career
Mr. Geng Baochang was a scholar of profound learning and high attainments, renowned worldwide for his pioneering contributions to the field of ancient ceramics appraisal. From 1936, he studied under Mr. Sun Yingzhou at the Dunhua Studio, accumulating rich experience in the appraisal of ceramics, bronzes, enamels, jade, and furniture. In 1946, he founded the Zhenhua Studio. He dedicated himself to the research of ceramics and other ancient crafts. After joining the Palace Museum, he presided over and participated in the classification, organization, and appraisal of hundreds of thousands of artifacts, laying a solid foundation for the development of the Palace Museum. He was instrumental in the acquisition of numerous precious cultural relics, including Hongshan Culture jade figures, Yue ware celadon long-necked vases, Jun ware rose-purple glazed flowerpots, and Jingdezhen ware blue-and-white scholar-themed lotus leaf-covered jars, enriching the Palace Museum's collection and preventing the loss of cultural relics to society—a truly remarkable achievement. In 1986, he also donated more than 20 pieces of porcelain and bronzes from his collection to the Palace Museum, joining other donors from all walks of life in demonstrating the enduring humanistic spirit and patriotism of the Chinese nation.
Mr. Geng Baochang enjoys a high reputation both at home and abroad for his exceptional appraisal skills. With keen insight, keen observation, and sharp discernment, his summarized principles for appraising ancient ceramics, including shape, decoration, body, glaze, and marks, have significant guiding value in practice and research. He has long guided cultural and museum institutions across the country in appraising and collecting artifacts. From 1990 to 1997, as the head of the national expert group for the appraisal and confirmation of first-class historical cultural relics in museum collections, he confirmed over ten thousand first-class cultural relics in the collections of museums in various provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, wholeheartedly promoting the development of the national cultural and museum undertakings. He also represented the country in appraising Chinese porcelain in the United States and other countries, making significant contributions to the return of Chinese cultural relics overseas.
Passing on the torch of ancient ceramics discipline
Mr. Geng Baochang was a rigorous scholar, relentlessly pursuing truth, and encouraging himself with the motto "Undeterred by three questions, unyielding to three axe blows." He excelled at extracting patterns from vast amounts of data, simplifying complex information and refining his lifelong experience in authentication, achieving fruitful academic results. He paid close attention to cutting-edge academic developments, continuously constructing and improving the theoretical system of ancient ceramic authentication, which had a profound impact both domestically and internationally. His book, *Authentication of Ming and Qing Porcelain*, is a landmark work in the field of ancient ceramics research in my country, rich in data and offering unique perspectives.
Mr. Geng Baochang has nurtured countless students and benefited generations of scholars. He generously shared his rich knowledge of cultural relics and his extensive work experience, teaching both the art of appraisal and the principles of scholarship. He spared no effort in promoting the development of the ancient ceramics research team at the Palace Museum, cultivating a large number of professionals in cultural relic appraisal and research for the country. Since the 1960s, he has been invited to lecture at the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Nanjing Museum, and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage's training centers in Yangzhou and Tai'an. He has also served as a part-time tutor or visiting professor at universities such as Liaoning University, Jilin University, Hebei Normal University, Peking University, Chinese Culture University in Taipei, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Malaysia. He enjoys a very high reputation and influence in the field of cultural relics and museums.
Advocates for the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage
Cultural relics and heritage carry the genes and bloodline of the Chinese nation. Mr. Geng Baochang, with a heart full of love for his country and a sincere dedication, not only focused on the research and appraisal of cultural relics, but also paid special attention to the development of national archaeology and the protection of cultural heritage, making unremitting efforts to better inherit and promote ceramic culture, this precious common wealth of mankind.
In the 1980s, Mr. Geng Baochang and Mr. Feng Xianming submitted a report to the state, earnestly suggesting the development of underwater archaeology and the protection of underwater cultural heritage. Entering the 21st century, recognizing the crucial position of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln as the "gathering place of all kiln wares in the world," Mr. Geng Baochang repeatedly called for strengthened protection of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln site. In 2015, he, along with Mr. Xie Chensheng and Professor Su Bai, jointly wrote to central leaders, prompting Jingdezhen to officially launch its application for World Heritage status, centered on the Imperial Kiln site. With the commencement of new-stage archaeological excavations and research, the Palace Museum's Jingdezhen Archaeological Base was established in 2024, and its findings have greatly contributed to Jingdezhen's World Heritage application.
disseminators of outstanding traditional Chinese culture
Chinese cultural relics from different historical periods, represented by ceramics, showcase to the world the continuous and vibrant material life and spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation over thousands of years. In 1973, the "Exhibition of Cultural Relics Unearthed in the People's Republic of China" began its international tour, with Mr. Geng Baochang accompanying the exhibition to France, Canada, the United States, and other countries, making significant contributions to "cultural diplomacy." He also made numerous trips to the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Turkey, Singapore, Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand for research, authentication, and academic exchanges, using ceramics as a medium to expand the international influence of Chinese culture.
Mr. Geng Baochang has always adhered to the principle of exploring the diverse values of cultural relics through solid and in-depth research, and interpreting and promoting the essence of outstanding traditional Chinese culture through cultural relic exhibitions. He guided the establishment of the Institute of Ancient Ceramics at the Palace Museum, advocated combining scientific testing and archaeological findings to promote research, supported the Palace Museum in conducting overseas ceramic archaeology in India, the UAE, and other countries, and advocated integrating the latest research results into exhibitions. He laid the foundation for the Palace Museum to form a multi-level and three-dimensional research and display system for ancient ceramics, and made outstanding contributions to telling China's story and disseminating outstanding traditional Chinese culture.
Palace Museum staff who dedicate their lives to one cause
Mr. Geng Baochang began working with cultural relics at the age of 14 and never left his beloved research field for 90 years. From a cultural relics expert at the Palace Museum to a world-renowned master of ancient ceramics appraisal and research, he upheld his love for cultural relics and museum work, and remained committed to the mission of inheriting Chinese culture. Even at the age of 103, he continued to follow current affairs, feeling delighted by the prosperity and development of the country's cultural undertakings under the leadership of the Party. At the same time, he also cherished the cultural relics and museum work to which he had dedicated his life, the development of the Palace Museum, and the people of the Palace Museum who passed on the torch.
As Mr. Geng Baochang once said, "The Palace Museum is my second home." He dedicated himself to scholarship, remained indifferent to fame and fortune, and mentored younger generations, truly embodying the spirit of the Palace Museum staff: sincerity, respect, and dedication to preserving traditions. His humility and pragmatic academic style inspire awe and diligence in his students. His academic legacy and exemplary character will motivate even more Palace Museum staff and cultural heritage workers to contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
We deeply mourn the passing of Mr. Geng Baochang!
May Mr. Geng Baochang rest in peace!
Palace Museum
November 17, 2025
