The "Yang Tong Hu" is one of the classic styles of Yixing purple clay teapots. Since its creation from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republican period, its simple design and practical convenience have made it deeply popular among the common people of the Jiangnan region. It was an essential drinking vessel for field labor, teahouse gatherings, and factory work. ## Gu Jingzhou's "Niu Gai Yang Tong Hu" (Ox-Cover Foreign Barrel Teapot) The "Niu Gai Yang Tong Hu" is one of Gu Jingzhou's representative works that established his reputation in the purple clay industry. In the 1930s, after the elder artisan Pei Shimin saw the "Yang Tong Hu" made by Gu Jingzhou, he considered the technical skill extremely exquisite and praised it, saying: "Remarkable! A master has emerged in the purple clay craft." Hua Yintang, an old industrialist and merchant from Yixing, recalled the process of Gu Jingzhou's rise to fame through the "Yang Tong Hu": "When I was young, I was very fond of purple clay teapots. Once on the street, I saw Gu Jingzhou's teapot, and the craftsmanship was excellent! His teapots sold for two dou of rice, the better ones for three dou of rice. I told him that his craftsmanship was worth more than that. I said, 'Bundle up the three remaining teapots and sell them to me.' As soon as he arrived at my house, I gave him one shi and eight dou of rice. Not long after that, he took off (became famous), and everyone went to his door to buy teapots." The "Niu Gai Yang Tong Hu" also represents Gu Jingzhou's reinterpretation of traditional forms and craftsmanship. In terms of production standards, he required that the body be straight and full, without any sense of being "thin." When the clay's moisture content was just right—that is, when the clay coil was in an "awakened" state—he would beat the body cylinder, forming the entire clay sheet in one breath, making the body full and taut. Xu Hantang once recalled: "In the early 1960s, Master Gu taught me to make the Niu Gai Yang Tong Hu. His instruction to me was that, on one hand, the Niu Gai Yang Tong Hu should have a body that is straight and strong, with proper proportions for the lid, neck, and handle. Particularly, the spout's form and momentum should be natural, ensuring smooth water flow without any dripping marks." --- [1] Gao Yingzi, *Chinese Master Craftsmen of Arts and Crafts*, Nanjing: Jiangsu Fine Arts Publishing House, July 2010 edition, p. 23. [2] Wuxi Radio and Television Station, *Purple Clay Master Gu Jingzhou* (DVD), 2010.