In ancient times, "beds" were not only used for sleeping, but also had many types and different functions

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In Xu Shen's "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" in the Western Han Dynasty, there is "a bed, a person who sits in peace." The bed was obviously a seat at that time, and in the "Interpretation of Names" written by Liu Xi in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it was pointed out that "the person who sits and lies is called a 'bed'." At this time, the bed became a sitting and lying piece of furniture. The change of bed illustrates the change of the times and the change of living habits.

Above_ Hu bed

Hu bed

During the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions, and the Silk Road began, and extensive cultural and material exchanges were carried out between the Central Plains and Central Asia. Hu bed was introduced to the Central Plains by the Hu people, this kind of legs crossed, stretched coarse cloth or hemp rope of small seats, to meet the needs of people to sit with their feet down, can be folded, convenient and practical, by the folk welcome.

The appearance of Hu bed has had a huge impact on later generations. Li Bai's "Silent Night Thoughts" is very famous, "The bright moonlight in front of the bed is suspected to be frost on the ground." Raise your head to look at the bright moon and bow your head to your hometown. The bed in the poem refers to the Hu bed. Du Fu's "Among the Trees": "The full year is like a pine, and at the same time waiting for chrysanthemum." A few times dipped in leaf dew, and sat on the bed by the moon. "There is also the shadow of the bed. After folk reprocessing, the Hu bed evolved into a common chair in ancient times.

In the pre-Qin period, the ancients used to sit on the ground, and their lifestyle was mainly to sit on their knees (kneel) or sit cross-legged. At that time, furniture such as tables, desks, boxes, cabinets, etc., was too short to pay attention to lacquer decoration. After the opening of the Silk Road, Han and Hu had in-depth exchanges, and began to enter the life of the Han people, represented by Hu beds. Inlay, lacquer, gilding and other crafts have become the mainstream of furniture decoration.

Above_ Eastern Han Dynasty "sitting posture" in the lecture portrait brick

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The bed has also been reinvented. The couch, explained in the "Interpretation of the Name": "The long and narrow and humble couch is said to be close to the ground." "The couch is characterized by being long and narrow and low. From the end of the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin dynasties, it was a time when the living habits of the ancients changed. People with poor conditions at home still sit on the ground. Wealthy families take pride in sitting on the couch.

Chen Fan, a famous minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty, has an upright temperament and is a severe politician, and is called the "Three Monarchs" along with Dou Wu and Liu Shu. He usually likes to make friends with people of good character, and for this reason, he has set up a special bed to entertain these friends. Usually hung on the wall, once these friends visited, he took the bed to sit together, talking and laughing, so there was the word "stay". Now, lodging means staying somewhere.

The couch has different uses, and can be used to entertain guests externally and for families to take a nap internally. The placement of the couch is also very casual, the living room, the study, the pavilion, and even the suburbs, can conform to the owner's mind, therefore, in the Tang and Song Dynasty paintings such as "Emperor of the Past Dynasties", "Han Xizai's Night Banquet", "Heavy Screen Chess", "Female Filial Piety Sutra", etc., there are all kinds of couches.

Above_ "Five Dynasties Zhou Wenju Heavy Screen Chess Diagram" depicts the Southern Tang Dynasty lord Li Jing and his younger brother Jing Sui, Jing Liang, Jing Guo sitting on the couch and playing chess

In ancient paintings, the couch is usually paired with several combinations. Wen Zhenheng of the Ming Dynasty believed in the "Chronicles of Long Things": "There are only a few couches in the ancient room of Yunlin Qingmi, which makes people want to see its style. It really makes the gods cold, so the entrance to the residence of the rhyme scholar has an elegant and vulgar taste. It can be seen that the couch has been out of the category of ordinary furniture and has become a kind of life interest.

"Exhibition of scriptures, reading calligraphy and painting, Chen Dingyi, Luo Caihe, Shi pillow, what can not be done", the couch and the literati have an inextricable connection, appreciating paintings and making poems, leaning on the piano, smelling the fragrance and sleeping, quiet games, the couch has become the carrier of the elegant feelings of the literati, both movement and stillness are appropriate, appropriate. In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyinjian of the Song Dynasty guided the Tang Dynasty, and the later lord Li Yu sent an envoy to question, and Taizu replied: "On the side of the couch, how can others be allowed to sleep soundly?" The couch here is a symbol of imperial power and the country, which shows the importance and popularity of the couch.

Above_ The Luohan bed in the painting of "Han Xizai's Night Banquet".

Luohan bed

In addition to the couch, the arhat bed is also a branch of the bed. Similar to the couch, the Luohan bed is also used for sitting and lying for entertaining guests. The difference is that the Luohan bed is forward-facing on one side and surrounded on three sides, which looks solemn and grand. In "Han Xizai's Night Banquet", Han Xizai and Zhuangyuan Lang Cang sat on the Luohan bed with great interest, listening to the sister of Li Jiaming, the deputy envoy of the teaching workshop, playing the pipa.

The couch and the arhat bed reflect the ancient way of hospitality. In the pre-Qin period, it was popular to sit on the floor, so the room was not divided into a living room, and the master's sleeping place naturally became a place for hospitality. With the rise of the hanging foot sitting, the living room appeared in the houses of the ancients, therefore, the hospitality etiquette also has the distinction of respect, inside and outside, and intimacy, the bed has become the highest level of courtesy, the couch and the arhat bed are second, and the seat is the last. Even in the seats, there is a difference between the left and the right.

Above_ Qing Dynasty rosewood single-panel bib arhat bed

There is such an incident recorded in the Book of Jin, Taiwei Xi Jian came to Langya Wang's family, and saw Wang Xizhi, who was eating on the Luohan bed, with his open clothes, and was selected by Xi Jian as his son-in-law. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Luohan bed became shorter and wider, large enough for a person to lie sideways, so as to facilitate the owner to smoke opium. "Opium Bed" records the memories of a people's suffering.

Unlike couches and arhat beds, shelf beds are specialized bedding. As the name suggests, the shelf bed is divided into four, six and eight columns, with a fence in the middle, a shelf roof, and a mortise and tenon structure, which is exquisite, firm and durable. Most of the bed frames are carved with wood branches, decorated with folklore, auspicious ornaments, mountains and rivers, flowers and birds, containing the meaning of peace, harmony, fertility and wealth.

Above_ Qing Dynasty sandalwood moon door shelf bed

Shelf bed

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the shelf bed was made of precious wood such as huanghuali, red sandalwood, and mahogany, which was finely carved, fresh and elegant, and unique. Depending on the region, the shelf bed is also different. The south is warm and humid, and the bed drawers are made of rattan or brown as raw materials, which can not only remove moisture, but also be elastic. The north is dry and cold, and the wooden planks are used as bed drawers, and mattresses are laid to keep warm and comfortable.

There are many benefits to using a shelf bed. There are fences at both ends of the front, sides and back of the bed, so that the owner does not fall out of bed while sleeping. Usually hang a tent on a wooden frame to avoid insects in summer and keep warm in winter. Thanks to the fence, the effective usable area of the bed is increased. The shelf bed is a relatively enclosed space, which can give people a corresponding sense of security.

Above_ Qing Dynasty Huanghuali dragon and phoenix pattern ten-pillar large step bed

Pull out the bed

The stepping bed that appeared in the late Ming Dynasty is actually a strengthened version of the frame bed, and it is also the largest bed in the ancient bed. The "bigness" of the stepping bed lies in the addition of a closed wooden platform on the basis of the original shelf bed. Two or three feet in front of the platform, the four corner columns, inlaid with wooden railings, form a corridor, in which some small furniture such as tables and stools can be placed.

According to the complexity of the shape, the stepping bed is divided into two types: a large bed and a cool bed. There is a height difference between the wooden pedal of the cloister and the ground, and the folk call the stepping bed "stepping bed" again. Since there was no toilet in the ancient house, the woman took advantage of the relatively closed space of the corridor of the stepping bed, placing a toilet at one end and a dresser at the other end, which was convenient and practical.

The bed is made of extravagant materials and exquisite craftsmanship, and is favored by dignitaries and wealthy businessmen, and has become a symbol of status and personal wealth. According to the record of "Tianshui Iceberg Record", when the traitor Yan Song was raided, a total of 640 beds were copied, including 52 large eight-step beds carved with luodian carved lacquer, 8 carved marble beds, 145 eight-step beds with colored lacquer carved lacquer, 1 bed in woodcut poems and paintings, 130 cool beds painted with gold and vine carvings, 138 small cool beds with mountain characters and comb backs, 40 plain lacquered rosewood beds, and 126 wooden beds of various old and new sizes.

Above_ Southern Song Dynasty Anonymous "Huaiyin Summer Picture" The scene of the ancients sleeping in bed to cool off in summer

The bed, with a long history and different styles, is a practical furniture and a hospitality utensil, it represents an integral part of the ceremonial culture, but also represents a special evidence of national integration, the bed not only pays attention to the private space of the individual, but also has the function of public socialization. Idioms such as "sharing the same bed, different dreams", "sharing the same bed", and "being bedridden" are catchy and have been passed down to this day. People have a deeper relationship with the bed than with other furniture, and it has been and will always be.

References: "Shuowen Jie Zi", "Interpretation of Names", "Chronicles of Long Things", "Book of Jin", "Tianshui Iceberg Record"