## Chapter 15: Temple Mountain ### Tools Used by Gu Jingzhou "He made tools for me, then asked me to sit in his place and demonstrate for him. His tools were extremely easy to use. After I finished and showed him, he was very pleased..." Gu Jingzhou's strictness and meticulousness regarding tools is something many contemporary teapot artisans cannot imagine. Pan Chiping once remarked with emotion: "The Master's teapot-making tools were 'dedicated to specific purposes' and never used as makeshift substitutes, even if only used once—they had to be perfect. In today's 'teapot-making circles,' this is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. No wonder some say his teapot-making tools could fill an entire shoulder pole load." Third, Gu Jingzhou also had aesthetic requirements for his tools. Those who have seen Gu Jingzhou's tools invariably praise them as both functional and beautiful. Professor Zhang Shouzhi of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts said: "These tools are extremely refined, and their design is extremely refined. The most useful things are also the most beautiful. Master Gu's tools can be said to be an exemplar for study within the art of Yixing pottery." Professor Qian Jianhua of Jiangnan University once witnessed Gu Jingzhou creating a specialized small tool for a particular teapot style—one that would very likely be used only once and might never be used again—yet Gu Jingzhou --- [1] Wuxi Radio and Television Station: *The Grand Master of Yixing Pottery: Gu Jingzhou* (CD), 2010. [2] Pan Chiping: "Remembering Two or Three Matters Concerning Master Gu Jingzhou and Their Inspiration," in Xu Xiutang, ed., *Records of Jingzhou's Artistic Lineage: Treasured Works from the Exhibition Commemorating the 90th Birthday of Yixing Pottery Grand Master Gu Jingzhou*, Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, December 2004 edition, p. 57.