## II The various ripple effects produced by these transformations also influenced Gu Jingzhou. The first stage of Gu Jingzhou's artistic life in purple clay began with his initial study of the craft and lasted until the founding of New China. During this period, Gu Jingzhou started by learning directly from his grandmother, absorbing the strengths of various masters who came before him. Even in his early apprenticeship, he displayed exceptional natural talent in purple clay craftsmanship, showing the fearless spirit of a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. Gu Jingzhou was born with an extraordinary and distinguished personality, and this commanding presence profoundly influenced the stylistic direction of his early works. In his youth, Gu Jingzhou greatly admired Shao Daheng, a senior artisan from his village. In the book *Appreciation of Yixing Purple Clay Treasures*, he devoted considerable space to cataloging Shao Daheng's surviving masterpieces. Gu Jingzhou was particularly drawn to the simple, unadorned beauty of rustic grandeur conveyed by Shao's teapots: > Shao Daheng's work can be called the culmination of purple clay artistry, sweeping away an entire generation's tendency toward delicate ornamentation and excessive refinement. Judging from the perspective of aesthetic character, Daheng's transmitted works represent another major turning point in the advancement of purple clay ceramic culture. He transformed the ornate and weakened style of the palace-influenced High Qing period, once again strengthening the craft's quality of simple elegance and generous temperament. He emphasized formal completeness and functional practicality while demonstrating technical mastery. To gain creative inspiration and establish his aesthetic direction in teapot making, Gu Jingzhou repeatedly studied and copied Shao Daheng's works. He gave high praise to Shao Daheng's influence on his craft: > Every one of Shao Daheng's ceramic works is exquisitely perfect. The first piece I made imitating Daheng was the *Cuosuo* teapot, created in 1936... Through imitating Daheng's works, my ceramic artistry underwent a leap forward. --- [1] Gu Jingzhou, "An Outline of Yixing Purple Clay Ceramic Art," in Shi Jundang and Sheng Pansong, eds., *Purple Clay Through the Seasons* (Shanghai: Wenhui Publishing House, October 1991), 177. [2] Gu Jingzhou, ed., *Appreciation of Yixing Purple Clay Treasures* (Hong Kong: Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd., January 1992), 17. [3] Gu Jingzhou, "Form, Spirit, and Energy in Ceramic Art," in Shi Jundang and Sheng Pansong, eds., *Purple Clay Through the Seasons* (Shanghai: Wenhui Publishing House, October 1991), 172.