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Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming, and through the Qing period. Among the different

forms Chen acquired were oval, round, square-shaped, bronze-inspired objects, and so on.

He devoted effort to understanding their special qualities and studying the porcelains,

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after which he ordered them carefully (˸͠˸ํ௰). However, his positive appraisal

for the collector went beyond the purpose of promoting culture, elegance, and taste. He

saw collectors as integral to his country’s position in international society. He did not

mince words when it came to criticism directed toward the collectors who “clung to old

cracks and imperfect ways” ׬ಞςॹ (baocan shouque), and “scoffed with their noses”

ොʘ˸ᄀ (chizhi yibi) at sending porcelain objects to international exhibitions such as

the 1904 St. Louis Exhibition, where “Westerners regarded highly our Chinese porcelain

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(huaci).” Evidently, Chen had in mind a particular sort of collector whose taste and

knowledge stood above the vulgar and fast-paced market. Only a politically and socially

insightful collector in tune with the aims of redeeming his society’s worldwide reputation

was worthy of Chen’s praise.

The term for connoisseur typically used by writers was “jianshang” ᛠሧ, which

means to view and enjoy. However, for Chen, the connoisseur was first and foremost a

person of visual knowledge, a “jian jia” ᛠ࢕. The type of collector and connoisseur that

Chen valued was someone who understood ceramics for more than their monetary value.

Neither was connoisseurship simply about joy. He despised those who only saw

porcelain as a means to make money, despite his acceptance of the government doing the

same thing in raising funds to fulfill indemnities. He also disdained the collectors whose

selfishness contributed to social disarray and competition. Thus, in his brief essay,