The exhibition room, spartanly furnished in Ming Dynasty style, is connected by a corridor to the Astor garden. [PHOTO BY GAO TIANPEI/CHINA DAILY]

These days, once or twice a day, Hearn walks through Central Park, on whose northern side the museum sits. "I'm very aware of the changing scenery of nature," says Hearn, in his late 60s.

"Both the Chinese and the Japanese celebrate the transient and the ephemeral, which has become a poignant part of my life. When one grows old one cherishes these things."

The lapse of time has certainly changed a lot. Having perused so many scrolls, Hearn is no longer conscious of the red seals stamped on a painting by those through whose hands the work of art passed over centuries.

But certain things remain unchanged, such as a passion for learning.

"Fong often reminded me, 'Don't forget the young Mike Hearn who comes and gets inspired by what he sees.' That's why I'm here."

In 2017 Hearn's department teamed up with the Chinese Ministry of Culture for the blockbuster show Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin & Han Dynasties (221 BC-AD 220). For the near future Hearn is considering mounting a series of smaller exhibitions that dive deeply into a single idea.

"In both cases, our commitment is to exhibitions with strong scholarly value, which we offer to our 500,000 visitors."

Looking back, Hearn said that when he walked around to knock on a back door of the Nelson-Atkins Museum 48 years ago, he had no idea about the back door, or houmen, being one of the most used metaphors in Chinese language.

"Today I know it means 'to play unfair and get something through bribing or personal connections'. But that's not the back door as my favorite metaphor. Mine is about the road not taken. I could have followed my father to become a businessman but I got distracted from that. I feel so lucky that I did. You've got to find your back door because that's your own door."

zhaoxu@chinadaily.com.cn