MgO nanorods with the average diameter of 30 nm and the length of 2 to 3 mm have been incorporated into (Bi, Pb)-2223 superconductors. The differential thermal analysis (DTA) measurements show that the addition of MgO nanorods results in the lowering of the melting point of the samples, which indicates that the optimum formation temperature of (Bi, Pb)-2223 phase is reduced. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis manifests that a small addition of MgO nanorods does not obstruct the formation of (Bi, Pb)-2223 phase. Furthermore, the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation shows that the MgO nanorods do not agglomerate or grow during the sintering process, which is crucial to the further application of MgO nanorod doping in (Bi, Pb)-2223/Ag tapes. The ac susceptibility measurements indicate that a small addition of MgO nanorods enhances the intergrain critical current density J c significantly. The enhancement of J c originates from the improvement of intergrain coupling due to the MgO nanorod doping.