--- still required careful scraping and grinding with the potter's rib, to be crafted like a finely made decorative art piece. ## Fourth, Tools Arranged in Perfect Order Gu Jingzhou's habits in using tools were consistent with his habits in conducting himself—disciplined and methodical. His tools were dedicated to specific purposes without mixing them up. Gu Jingzhou would repeatedly deliberate on the rationality of operational techniques, craft procedures, sitting posture, and tool placement in Yixing pottery production, pursuing scientific efficiency and rationality. Before creating, he would arrange his tools in sequence. During actual work, tools on the left were picked up with the left hand, tools on the right with the right hand, and after use, they were returned to their original positions in order. This orderliness was Gu Jingzhou's basic standard for using tools. Finally, he emphasized the use of tools in teaching his craft. Gu Jingzhou was a pivotal figure in the transmission of Yixing pottery—he standardized the complex forming and production techniques of Yixing pottery, and emphasizing tools was an important part of this. He often instructed his students: "Making a teapot is nothing remarkable; the most important thing is learning to make tools. If you can't make tools, you can't make good teapots... If you can make tools, you can make good teapots. Each form has its own language, and it is the maker who must express that language for the form to be perfect—it cannot be done carelessly."[1] Gu Jingzhou not only perfected his own tools but also required each disciple to master the skills of making quality tools. Xu Hantang once earned Gu Jingzhou's approval and was accepted as an indoor disciple based on an excellent potter's rib he made. However, this was merely an insignificant beginning. In the days of teaching that followed, Master Gu did not rush to teach Xu Hantang the craft itself, but instead had him continue making tools. Xu Hantang's first work was the Yixing pottery tool "shuirao tou" (water smoothing tool), and his second was the Yixing pottery tool "pen shui hu" (water spraying pot)—these were the most basic tools for making Yixing pottery.[2] In this way, he had his disciples understand the techniques of Yixing pottery while making tools, laying a solid foundation for continuous refinement of the craft. As it turned out, although Xu Hantang later created countless masterpieces, these two Yixing pottery works that also served as tools remained his most treasured. Xu Hantang strictly followed his master's teachings and emphasized the role of tools in Yixing pottery forming techniques, which established the foundation for his later technical achievements. Therefore, Gu Jing— --- [1] Qian Jianhua, *The Scholar-Type Master Craftsman Gu Jingzhou*, in Xu Xiutang, ed., *Record of the Lineage of Jingzhou Teapot Art: Collection of Works from the Exhibition Commemorating the 90th Birthday of Yixing Pottery Master Gu Jingzhou* (Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, December 2004), p. 33. [2] Wuxi Radio and Television Station, *Yixing Pottery Master Gu Jingzhou* (CD), 2010. [3] Xu Hantang, *The Yixing Pottery Art of Xu Hantang* (Beijing: Forbidden City Publishing House, June 2007), pp. 238-239.