In 1980, the Shanghai Science and Education Film Studio came to Yixing to film the educational documentary *Purple Clay Pottery*. Gu Jingzhou served as artistic consultant and director, personally designing the teapot style for the production. The teapot was made by Ge Taozhong and carved by Tan Zhuhaijiu—a masterpiece of collaboration among several artisans. The design inspiration for this teapot came from the Qing Dynasty painter and writer Zheng Banqiao. Zheng Banqiao, courtesy name Kerou, art name Banqiao, was from Xinghua, Jiangsu. He was skilled in poetry, ci poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and was one of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou." He excelled at painting orchids, bamboo, and rocks. His self-created "six-and-a-half script" combined regular script and clerical script into one style, presenting a "scattered stones paving the road" aesthetic that won widespread admiration. *An Illustrated Study of Yangxian Purple Clay Teapots* records: > Banqiao, a jinshi degree holder during the Qianlong reign, served as magistrate of Weifang and Xi'an counties. He governed with benevolent policies and was known for his unrestrained character. His poetry resembled that of Bai Juyi and Lu You. He authored *The Complete Works of Banqiao*. His calligraphy combined clerical, running, and regular scripts into a distinctive style. However, few knew of his teapot designs. Li Xiaopo possessed a Banqiao teapot made of white clay with coarse sand, featuring a large handle and short spout in an elegantly archaic style. Inscribed on the body was a poem in six lines of running script with a round seal reading "Zheng": "Pointed spout, large belly, handle set high / Just freed from hunger and cold, already so proud / Small capacity cannot hold great things / Two or three ladles of water stir up crashing waves." Signed "Banqiao Daoren." Banqiao delighted in humor, and this teapot inscription also satirized the world with wit. This vessel from a renowned master is uniquely charming and exceptionally precious.[1] --- [1] Li Jingkang and Zhang Hong (Republican era), *An Illustrated Study of Yangxian Purple Clay Teapots*, included in Xu Xiuling, ed., *Modern Translations of Historical Purple Clay Texts* (Beijing: Beijing Publishing House, January 2011), p. 258.