Following this, Gu Jingzhou taught the assembly, use, and maintenance of basic tools such as the "oblique braid," "key knife," "steel drink," and "grinding knife." He covered every detail, requiring students to make thorough and careful preparations for zisha pottery production. In Gu Jingzhou's view, the differences in each artisan's tools actually reflected the artisans' "signature techniques." The tools were related to the formation of every detail on the teapot. Gu Jingzhou especially emphasized that each practitioner should make their own tools, and should have a unique grasp of comfort based on different usage habits. Before making teapots, Gu Jingzhou made very thorough preparations—after drawing several papers, finalizing the design, and preparing the tools, the subsequent work would flow naturally. Secondly, using specialized tools for specific purposes was another characteristic of Gu Jingzhou's tool usage. The reason Gu Jingzhou valued tools stemmed from his emphasis on form. He once summarized: "From the age of eighteen until now, over these decades, I have made square ones, round ones, tall ones, fat ones, and thin ones... The most important thing about Yixing pottery is the emphasis on form. Each vessel form reflects a person's individuality, and vessel form has its temporality." Xu Xiutang recalled working alongside Gu Jingzhou, and her deepest impression was that Gu Jingzhou frequently emphasized that after repeated deliberation, some aspects of teapots made days earlier still needed modification. This shows that Gu Jingzhou's requirements for form had reached a nearly exacting degree, even to the point of forgetting food and sleep. It was precisely because of his obsession with and persistent pursuit of zisha vessel forms that Gu Jingzhou required each form to have corresponding tools. He often overthrew the rationality of tools and their correspondence. Ge Taozhong recalled: "Every time Master Gu created a form, he would create new tools. His tools were as beautiful as his teapots." In the 1970s and 80s, Gao Haigeng designed the "Jiyu Teapot" (*Jiyu Hu*). The overall form captured the spirit of jade vessels from the Neolithic period and innovatively combined other jade vessel elements. Gu Jingzhou praised it endlessly and greatly appreciated this teapot's form. To fully express the form of the design draft, before his disciple Zhou Guizhen began production, Gu Jingzhou meticulously crafted a set of tools. Zhou Guizhen recalled: "When I began working on the 'Jiyu Teapot'..." --- [1] Gu Jingzhou (lecturer), Pan Chiping (compiled and recorded): *Technical Course Preparation Notes*, 1981 [2] Wuxi Radio and Television Station: *Zisha Master Gu Jingzhou* (CD), 2010