Sun undertook a great deal of research into the official kilns of the Ming Dynasty. He became such an expert on the ceramics of the Xuande period that he was dubbed the 'King of Xuande'. Rare Ming porcelain that he donated to the Palace Museum includes a blue and white bowl with entwined lotuses from the Yongle period, and a blue and white water dropper with a design of floral sprays from the Xuande period. Another of his gifts, a pair of cups with a design of autumn flowers and butterflies in contrasting colors, so thin that they are compared to cicada's wings, is very rare among the polychrome and doucai porcelain still extant in private or public collections.