**Upper Section** **Large Stone Marker No. 1** (formerly in the collection of Wu Hufan) ## A Completely New Beginning in Life Gu Jingzhou, in the first stage of his life and career, progressed from his awakening to Yixing pottery to his skilled mastery of various production techniques, and his reputation in the circle had already begun to take shape. At this time, the young Gu Jingzhou could mostly remain in his own small world, working diligently without cease—although the refinement of his works had not yet reached the realm of consummate perfection, in his understanding of technique and his pursuits, he possessed a maturity and composure that did not match his age. This can be glimpsed from the seal inscriptions he used on his Yixing wares during this period, such as "Wuling Duoren" (Man of Many Affairs from Wuling), "Caonan Shanquan" (Mountain Spring South of the Grass), "De Yi Ri Cai Wei Sheng Ji Suo Po" (Obtaining One Day's Gathering is Enough, Why Be Driven by Making a Living), "Wei Du Ri Lao Zhi" (Only Enough to Grow Old On), and "Zu Ke Suo Hao Wan Er Lao Pi" (Sufficient for What I Love to Play With Until Old Age). The use of these leisure seals seemingly presents him as a recluse with an untroubled heart and open sentiments, yet also as a wandering swordsman weathered by wind and frost, drifting without fixed abode—rather than a young man in his twenties or thirties with the carefree innocence that should come with that age. Taking the studio name "Shouping" (Thin Duckweed), he entered [the world of pottery], driven by the creative passion within, while also foreshadowing his future refinement and development. This extraordinary, transcendent temperament stirred Gu Jingzhou's heart...