The zisha teapot in tree-root style with the mark "Huang Yulu" is authentic, dating from the late Qing Dynasty during the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns. Shao Youlan was a predecessor of Master Gu Jingzhou's grandmother. The zisha teapot with the mark "Made by Shao Youlan of Yangmei" and inscribed with poetry is authentic, from the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. The flat square zisha teapot with intaglio and relief inscription bearing the mark "Zhiyuan" is an authentic piece from the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. The base bears the inscription "Tea ripe, fragrance warm." The large flat zisha teapot with the mark "Shao Yuanxiang." Shao Yuanxiang was a person from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. This teapot is large in form, with coarse clay body, possessing the style of the Ming Dynasty. However, the inscription on the body of the teapot was carved later. Who "Master of Shiyuan" was remains unclear. The zisha teapot with gold-painted landscape bearing the mark "Yang Pengnian." Yang Pengnian was active during the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods. This teapot is authentic, with clay color relatively standard; both the clay body and craftsmanship possess the stylistic characteristics of Yang Pengnian's teapot-making. From Gu Jingzhou's authentication notes on zisha pottery, one can see that Gu Jingzhou had a thorough understanding of the evolution of craftsmanship and the development of zisha history. From major historical accounts of famous masters to minor anecdotes and interesting stories, he knew everything. This also determined the objectivity and fairness of the opinions he expressed. In 1981, Gu Jingzhou accompanied the Jiangsu Provincial Ceramics Delegation to Hong Kong to participate in the "Sixth Asian Arts Festival." The Yixing Zisha Pottery Factory held a concurrent exhibition of zisha works. During the exhibition, Master Gu Jingzhou was invited to authenticate over two hundred teapots donated by Mr. Lo Kwee-seong to the Hong Kong Museum of Tea Ware, offering his incisive analysis and fair-minded opinions. In his later years, what weighed on Gu Jingzhou's mind was not only the artistic creation of zisha, but also deep concern for the direction of the zisha industry's development. In the tide of the market economy, many people had their eyes blinded by fame and profit, seeking opportunistic shortcuts. Various ugly phenomena such as "ghost-making" and "counterfeiting" emerged endlessly. He was deeply pained by this and on multiple occasions in different settings denounced these malignant tumors: > These people lack self-respect and self-regard, their hearts consumed by greed for profit, causing art to deviate from morality, polluting the soul of a true zisha artisan.[1] --- [1] Sheng Pansong, *Forever in Our Thoughts—Recollections of Interviewing Master Gu Jingzhou*, in Xu Xiutang, ed., *A Separate Record of Jingzhou's Pottery Art: Commemorative Collection of Works for the Ninetieth Birthday of Zisha Master Gu Jingzhou* (Shanghai: Shanghai Guji Publishing House, December 2004), p. 37.