By Geng Baochang  

Sun Yingzhou was one of China's foremost ceramics experts. In 1950 he donated the proceeds from selling a set of cultural relics from his collection towards the effort to help Korea in the war against U.S. aggression.

Of the gift of his collection to the Palace Museum, 70 pieces of relics were allocated to local museums. Other pieces were presented to allied countries, enhancing the ties of friendship and promoting the spread of Chinese culture in other parts of the world.

Venerable mentor that he was, Sun never grew weary of teaching others what he had learnt, and he had pupils everywhere. I was lucky to have been one of his pupils, and I benefited a great deal when I researched ceramics with him in the Palace Museum. He even had scholars coming from abroad to learn from him.

From the time he began working at the Palace Museum in 1956, Sun always exerted himself to the utmost, not only to research, appraise and collect cultural relics, but also to train a generation of specialists. In addition, he gave much help to the Shanghai and Guangdong museums in the 1960s and 1970s.

At the same time, Sun dedicated himself to summing up his experience. Published in the 'Palace Museum Journal' and 'Cultural Relics', his papers are of great significance to ceramics studies. In memory of his contribution, the signboard of his antique shop, Dunhua Zhai, was hung in a hall in Liulichang, the antique market in Beijing. As a pupil of Sun's, I am honored to have the opportunity to help with the selection of pieces for this exhibition.

By Li Huibing  

Research into ancient porcelain has always been important in the study of traditional Chinese crafts, but for years it concerned itself with historical materials and documents rather than the excavation and examination of kilns or the evaluation of unearthed ceramics. Yet the dating of porcelain cannot be separated from investigations into the producing kilns.

The Palace Museum has long been engaged in porcelain research. A plan was drawn up in the 1950s to raise expertise and improve facilities for appraisals. The plan was divided into two parts: one covering ceramics from before the Song Dynasty, the other covering ceramics from the Ming and Qing. Chen Wanli, a celebrated expert, was made responsible for the first part, while Sun Yingzhou was assigned the task of researching the kiln sites active during the later period as well as the appraisal of some 300,000 pieces of ceramics in the Museum's collection.

There are specific problems associated with accurate dating of Ming and Qing porcelain. These relate to the fact that the standards of production were more erratic than in previous eras, and that dated pieces found through excavations are relatively scarce.

With Sun in charge, the Palace Museum staff responsible for porcelain conducted a thorough survey of the collection. The survey also became, in effect, a training course for those working under Sun. Sun was the first specialist to classify items by category: using the characteristics of porcelain produced by the Guan kilns at various times as criteria, he evaluated other pieces from different periods. Various guiding principles and theories for dating and evaluating were derived from this exercise.

In the 1960s, Sun collated the results of his research and analyses in a dissertation, 'How to Appraise the Porcelain of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties', which was published serially in Cultural Relics. Although he died before he could complete this work, he is still credited with laying the foundation for a practical and systematic approach to porcelain appraisal.

By Ye Peilan  

Sun Yingzhou passed away during the Cultural Revolution, but his voice, appearance, words and contribution are still remembered after 30 years.

I recall working with Mr. Sun in the storeroom. He was never without a big handkerchief and a small magnifier, one for wiping and the other for examining glazes on porcelain. Occasionally he would take a ceramic piece out to the yard to look at it in the sun.

He was always kind to young professionals, telling them to bear three points in mind when examining ceramics: one must look, one must remember and one must compare. Once he demonstrated his superb knowledge and skill. On his desk were pieces of Song-dynasty Ge ware as well as Ming and Qing imitations. With his eyes closed, and using his hands to feel, he was able not only to identify the authentic from the forged, but to date the forgeries to the Ming and Qing respectively. The secret, it transpired, lay in the varying thickness of the rim of the foot of each piece.

We learnt through practice, but he also encouraged us in other ways. He once suggested to me that I should submit an essay to Cultural Relics, a sign of his confidence, which touched me greatly. 'I hope you will become the first female ceramics expert,' he said.

By Ye Zheming  

Although he ran a very successful antique shop and was renowned for his knowledge and expertise, Mr Sun was a modest man who wore very plain clothes and traveled to work by bus. Nobody would have taken him for a rich man who had extensive property holdings. To us, his young followers, he was always unassuming, passing on all he knew without reserve. I remember one occasion early on in my career at the Palace Museum, when he showed me the proper way to handle ceramics and how to tap each piece lightly to detect any cracks.

Known as the 'King of Xuande', Mr. Sun was said to be capable of distinguishing any ceramic piece from this period with his eyes closed. In fact, Mr. Sun was always very careful, drawing conclusions only after a great deal of deliberation. When consulted by other collectors, he would give his considered opinion but admit doubt where it existed. He recommended the same approach to his students, reminding us that absolute certainty was often impossible.

Mr Sun explained profound things simply, and formulated rules for distinguishing and dating ceramics, which were easy to remember. His 'How to Appraise the Porcelain of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties', published in Cultural Relics and reprinted serially in Ta Kung Pao, unfortunately unfinished at his death, remains invaluable to people in the profession.

By Wang Liying  

Sun Yingzhou was my first teacher when I started working on ceramics. He remained a lifelong mentor and model. It was from him that I learnt my first lesson on the care and safety of a delicate piece of porcelain.

In 1957 Mr Sun began the huge task of authenticating, dating and evaluating every ceramic piece in the Palace Museum's collection. By then he was a respected authority on the subject, although he remained very modest, and sometimes, if in doubt, he would suspend judgement for a few days. When we were cataloguing white glazed ceramics from the Yongle period, Mr Sun queried the dating of a bowl with an underlying design. His recommendation was, however, to put it aside and leave the question open. After three days, he came to a decision: 'The body of this piece is thin, the rim is sharp, and the underlying pattern does not appear as natural as other ceramics from the Yongle period, so it is an imitation.'

He advocated 'learning while working'. Under his guidance, I acquired the ability to differentiate between imported and native pigments. He took me to antique shops in Liulichang, urging me to spend more time observing and comparing such characteristics as style, body texture and glaze. I would also visit him at home, where his bookshelves were filled with titles on pottery and ceramics.

Mr. Sun had high expectations of his students, frowning at them when he thought them slack, but he was warmly encouraging as well. 'There are experts in all fields and most of them are male. Study hard and try to be the first female ceramics expert in China', he said to me. Thirty years' effort culminated in my being appointed researcher at the Palace Museum. Now retired, I continue to devote myself to the academic study of ceramics and to practice what Mr. Sun preached: that one is never too old to learn.