Xia Bu Ling The "Small Five Bamboo" is made by coiling clay strips around a convex mold and then forming the body. The convex mold must be exactly the right size, so that the coiled clay strips placed in the mold are neither too loose nor too tight. When expanding the body cylinder, the protruding areas must not be pressed too thin, otherwise problems will easily occur. The bottom plate should only be attached when the body cylinder has reached the "jie xiang" stage (meaning it has achieved a slight degree of hardness). When attaching the bottom plate, special attention is required, because the center of the turntable is slightly convex. If the technique is not handled correctly, it will certainly warp. To make the bottom plate firm, the following must be achieved: 1. The bottom piece must be flat; 2. A "zhuang zhi" must be made. The zhuang zhi is a piece slightly thicker than the coiled piece, with the center pressed down slightly. 3. When attaching the bottom plate, do not smooth the bottom plate and clay strips to the same level. The bottom plate should be slightly higher than the clay strips, then press tight and smooth together. When attaching the lid piece, apply thin slip. Add a line of slip around the edge. Pierce a small hole in the center of the lid piece for air release. After the lid piece is attached, first use the back of a fish gill knife to press firmly on the lid piece, and be sure to use a wooden paddle to beat it tight. Both applications of force must ensure that the center does not sink down. Opening the lid plate should be done in two cuts, with proper control of depth and angle. When lifting the lid plate, do not lift from the surface—simply pry along the knife seam. After removing the lid plate, use a brush with very little water content to let a bit of water seep through the knife seam on the lid piece, then press tight with a bamboo scraping stone. The corners should not be too blunt. Making the lid plate: Because the lid plate is octagonal in shape, it is not suitable to use a rib tool. A specialized tool should be made to smooth the edges and chamfer the corners. The chamfer on the lid plate surface should be the same as the chamfer on the lid piece—not too blunt. Any raised burrs should be trimmed away. The chamfer on the underside can be somewhat blunter. The raised edges that protrude cannot be trimmed; simply grind them and beat with a paddle. When attaching the mouth rim, use the squeezed-out slip and the raised edges to fill and level, strengthening the thickness of the lid plate. This way, the flush-fitting lid will not experience lid dropping. The eight pointed corners of the lid plate can be made somewhat blunter, so they are less likely to chip. Wait until the lid plate is completed before attaching the bamboo joint.