"Eggshell" black is a ritual Longshan elite ware that culminated from a long development. According to Thorp and Vinograd (Chinese Art & Culture, pp. 42-46), it was made from a uniformly black, untempered, paste. The components were thrown separately on a fast wheel before being joined, scraped, and burnished. The pottery is outstandingly light, thin, and fine, and cast in a variety of shapes. Stems were hollow, thick for convenient handling, and decorated by carved openwork. The long, everted lips on the cup would have rapidly cooled down the hot wine for sipping.