Pop the four corners to point the other direction, which will lock the sampan into shape.

Pop the four corners to point the other direction, which will lock the sampan into shape.

Your sampan is complete, just make sure to turn it over before you build your house on it.

You are exposing the outside of the sampan, which is inside out at the moment.

You are exposing the outside of the sampan, which is inside out at the moment.

Continue openning the model, forming a loose boat shape.

Continue to open the model, forming a loose boat shape.

Flip the corners over, so that the color side is on the outside of the boat model.

Flip the corners over, so that the color side is on the outside of the boat model.

Repeat the two folds on the right side, so that the edges meet in the middle, and the right side of the valley folds overlap the last folds you made, a little beyond center.

Repeat the two folds on the right side, so that the edges meet in the middle, and the right side of the valley folds overlap the last folds you made, a little beyond center.

Valley fold the top and bottom points to meet in the center of the boat.

Valley fold the top and bottom points to meet in the center of the boat.

Valley fold the top edge and the bottom edge to meet on the center line you just created.

Each of the four corners are to be valley folded diagonally, so that the left edge top and bottom meet in the middle, and so do the right egde top and bottom.

Each of the four corners are to be valley folded diagonally, so that the left edge top and bottom meet in the middle, and so do the right egde top and bottom.

Once again, valley fold the left corners, top and bottom, so that the edges that you just created meet in the middle. The right edge of the valley folds will extend a little beyond center.

These boats are generally 12 to 15 feet long, but ours today will be much to small to live on. Perhaps not to scale, but definitely to funtion, this sampan will indeed float, at least until the paper gets too soggy to hold its' shape.

House boats have been around for centuries, and the Chinese were probably the first to begin habitating the rivers and lakes. They lived on small boats, called sampan, with tiny houses on top, that they powered by oars. So common were the site of sampan on the rivers, that somebody created an origami model of it, to go with the frogs and cranes on the river.