and thus achieve the ultimate state of form that is both rational and interesting. This modeling ability requires an extremely high level of cultural cultivation. On one hand, the master possesses outstanding natural talent; on the other hand, the height of his cultivation and aesthetic sensibility benefits from his diligent and unceasing study of culture over many years, accumulating profound depth, thus having the "source of living water" in his heart. To achieve such perfection throughout a lifetime of creative work, to maintain self-discipline throughout one's life, and to devote oneself to production and creation with a rarely seen rigorous craftsmanship attitude—this requires tremendous willpower. To hold fast and persist in the direction one believes to be right, remaining unmoved regardless of how the environment and worldly affairs may change. This willpower, which we can perceive in the master, stems from a lifelong "confidence" in the Yixing pottery career he has devoted himself to. This confidence comes from a literatus's identification with the deep meaning contained within the historical culture of Yixing pottery. An ancient saying goes: "The great bell is destroyed and abandoned, while earthen tiles thunder." The great bell represents the grand and sublime sound of the ancestral temple; earthen tiles refer to pottery vessels made of clay. Although Yixing pottery does not belong to the category of earthen tiles, it is an indisputable fact that Yixing pottery originated from such vessels. Today, though crowned with the title of art, in some people's eyes it remains a minor craft. Since ancient times, only the teachings of sages and the Four Books and Five Classics have been considered the orthodox path; being well-versed in poetry and books, composing poetry and practicing calligraphy—these are the orthodox ways to sound the great bell. Qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting are considered elegant because literati and scholar-officials use them as means to express their individuality. Only in this way can one personally express the need to "give voice to the aspirations in one's heart." Craftsmen are mostly not people of learning; incorporating the individual into the collective of the trade is the proper duty of craftsmanship. How could a mere sand vessel (the Ming dynasty term for Yixing pottery), since the early Ming dynasty, have caused such "clamor" among the craftsmen engaged in this trade? Just as the Ming scholar Xu Yinglei, upon meeting Shi Dabin, expressed such sentiments as "How can he use ingenious skill to demand such high prices?" and "I must first smash it before I can be satisfied." A lump of clay, a craftsman with a single skill, mentioned alongside literati well-versed in poetry and books who practice calligraphy—in an era when only scholarship was valued, this indeed made conservative literati and scholar-officials feel unbearably uncomfortable. Yet this very contradiction and entanglement demonstrates that at the time when individualist thought was breaking through in the Ming dynasty, it was the Yixing pottery industry that pioneered the spirit of the age.