The step-by-step PDF instructions for folding Guowei’s Blue and White Cup will help with the construction of the Green Bowl.
The poet and statesman Su Shi, of the Northern Song Dynasty (960 to 1127), who styled himself as Su Dongpo, loved pork knuckles, which is how the dish Dongpo Pork Knuckle came to be. Su Shi enjoyed cooking for his friends, and he included recipes in his poems. Green ceramics were prized in the Song Dynasty, and green bowls were the original vessels for holding Dongpo Pork Knuckles.
Editor’s note: A green bowl from the Song Dynasty sold at Christie’s for $37,000 in 2022. Guowei’s bowl echoes its shape. You can see a photo of the original here.
The crease pattern for the Green Bowl is similar to that of the Blue and White Origami Cup, published in the January 2026 edition of The Fold. It varies in proportion from the cup, but the construction is essentially the same.
Depending on the paper you use, you may need glue to hold the pleats. If so, it’s best to use a small drop at the lower rim and press it upward. The quality of the green paper I used was not very good, so I used a little glue on the pleats to compensate. The overlapping pleats on the bottom of the bowl hold the vessel’s shape nicely.