This is a type of process performed before kneading clay for pottery by hand. On a large clay board or in a clean earthen floor, a large amount of hard and soft clay containing water before kneading is placed on the sand. After one step, a large sickle is used to cut the clay into roughly square pieces, which are then piled up in two or three layers and stomped on again with the feet. After about three times of doing this, the hard and soft clay is roughly mixed into a uniform clay. After the clay has been stepped on, it is further kneaded carefully by hand on the kneading table before use. The treading of the clay was done by a professional servant or by an apprentice, and even in extremely cold weather, one step into the clay was hard work that caused a waterfall of sweat to form in the process.
