All of the information stated in this article is based on reliable sources of information and is detailed at the end of the article
≺ Preamble≻
Whenever watching the footage of the ancients lying down and resting in costume dramas, everyone's attention will always be attracted by the pillows on the bed.
Those pillows are square and hard, without a little curvature, they look completely "anti-human", just looking at the neck hurts, but the actors lie down without hesitation.
Is this a film and television rewriting or is it true? What did the pillows of the ancients look like?
The porcelain pillow is high and hard, didn't the ancients panic?
≺ Ancient pillows in a variety of shapes ≻
In ancient times, the history of pillows originated very early, as early as the Paleolithic people have tried to sleep on stones or animal bones.
The reason why the ancients learned to use pillows was not to find a comfortable way to sleep, but to prevent mosquitoes, rats and ants from entering the mouth and nasal cavity, and to ensure their safety when they fell asleep.
With the end of primitive society and the entry of human beings into feudal society, the pillow formed by the continent appeared in the Shang Dynasty.
At that time, people worshipped animal totems, especially tigers, believing that these totems could be auspicious and avoid evil, so they made "tiger head pillows" with jade.
In the Book of Songs and the Book of Rites, there are many descriptions of ancient bedding, and you can see the importance that the ancients attached to bedding in every place.
The left side of the word "pillow" is next to the wooden word, which can also show that the ancient pillow is related to wood, during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the wooden sleeper appeared in the life of the ancients, but the shortcomings were gradually exposed in the process of use.
The material of the wooden pillow is slightly hard, and if a person sweats during sleeping, the wooden pillow usually absorbs sweat and is not easy to disperse, and the neck and head are uncomfortable over time.
It is also because of the reason of sweat absorption, the wooden pillow becomes more difficult to preserve, and it is easy to decay after being used for a long time, after the wooden sleeper was eliminated because of the shortcomings, the porcelain pillow began to be popular in the Sui and Tang dynasties, is the porcelain pillow better than the wooden pillow?
The texture of the porcelain pillow is good, the shape is more, in terms of use, it is indeed much better than the wooden pillow, and the ancients also gave the porcelain pillow a lot of meaning.
For example, newlyweds generally prepare a pair of "children's pillows" at home, which are no different from children's, implying that the family is full of children and grandchildren.
For example, if you are prone to nightmares and want to turn evil into good fortune at home, you will generally use a "lion pillow", and the animal shape is guaranteed to make people sleep until dawn.
Another example is the ancient businessman, hoping that he can make a fortune, and the pillow at home will be in the shape of silver ingots and swimming fish, which means that there is a lot of gold and silver at home, and there is more than enough every year.
These pillows have a variety of shapes, the only thing they are the same is "high and hard", but in ancient times, there were not only hard pillows, but soft pillows actually appeared in the Han Dynasty.
Archaeologists once found a private pearl pillow in the tomb of the Western Han Dynasty, because of the age, most of the soft pillow has decayed and dilapidated, only the pearl still exists in the world.
Since the establishment of the imperial examination in the Sui and Tang dynasties, many ancients regarded ten years of hard study as the only way to get ahead, but in the process of reading, the pillow also had a new form - a round wooden pillow.
The shape of the round wooden pillow is cylindrical, and unlike the square pillow, the round wooden pillow is very easy to slip off, and as long as you are a little dishonest when sleeping, the head will slip off the pillow, which is very "anti-human".
Why did ancient scholars sleep on round wooden pillows?
In fact, it acts as an alarm clock and does not allow yourself to sleep for too long, so this kind of pillow is also called a "police pillow".
From ancient times to the present, the style of pillows is strange, especially the ancient hard pillows, the ancients are really not afraid of panic, are they?
In fact, it is not the stiff neck of the ancients, all this is "deliberate".
≺ Is it really not awkward to have a high and hard pillow ≻
Those pillows seem to be square and uncurved, but in fact, the real way to use them is not to put the head, but to put them under the neck when sleeping, not so much a pillow as a "pillow neck"!
This hard pillow adapts perfectly to the curvature of the human neck, providing not only stiff support, but also a more relaxed cervical spine.
The weather is hot in summer, there are no high-tech equipment such as air conditioners and fans in ancient times, and even the use of ice is the exclusive domain of dignitaries, if ordinary people can have a porcelain pillow, then the benefit in summer is to enjoy coolness.
In addition to playing a cooling role, the tall and hard porcelain pillow also has a health effect.
Because there is a occipital bone in the back of the head, a hard pillow can just protect the occipital bone, especially for scholars who are reading, they will think that such a pillow is more conducive to learning.
Aside from the problem of incompatibility, the high and hard pillow can also provide convenience for the ancients, first of all, the convenience of self-defense.
In costume dramas, there are often such episodes, where the ancients were suddenly attacked in their sleep, and he instantly woke up with a hard pillow to defend himself, and if necessary, he could also use it as a weapon to counter the murderer.
Although this is just an interpretation of film and television dramas, it is not impossible in practice.
Even if you can defend yourself, the hard pillow is also very friendly to ancient girls.
As the saying goes, "the parents of the body's hair and skin", the ancients attached great importance to hair, they did not cut their hair from birth, but let the hair grow, but the hair also has troubles, the ancients were able to coil their hair and comb during the day, and it was troublesome to sleep at night.
Although the modern soft pillow is comfortable, the hair is often messy after sleeping for one night, while the ancient hard pillow is unconventional, the ancients only need to place their hair in advance before going to bed, and the high pillow makes the head naturally raised, so that the hair is very easy to keep neat.
In addition to these functions, there is also a very niche use of ancient pillows, that is, to keep secrets!
In ancient times, whether it was a porcelain pillow or a jade pillow, the inside was mostly hollow designed, and the space inside could be used to place some books and pieces of paper.
There is a record in the "Book of Yuejue": "Yidan book silk, put it in the pillow, think it is a state treasure".
It means that the pillow can be placed in the treasures of the family, such as land deeds, jewelry, etc., once the family encounters a sudden change, you can pick up the pillow and run, even if it is burglarized at night, the things in the pillow will not be easily stolen.
≺ Conclusion ≻
From ancient times to the present, pillows seem to be inconspicuous as a necessity of people's lives, but they are actually very knowledgeable.
From the perspective of craftsmanship, the change of the pillow represents the aesthetic changes of different dynasties, and from the perspective of function, the pillow represents the unique living habits of the ancients.
Although the square inch is small, it contains the great wisdom of the ancients.
The evolution of pillows from creation to glory to today may have no ancient application considerations, but what remains unchanged is the wisdom of the working people in the mainland, which has written a new chapter for the development of Chinese culture.
Information sources:
1. China Digital Science and Technology Museum, "Ancient Pillows, Really "Hardcore"
Hatpas://vv.cdstm.cn/gallery/media/makj/ktnu_/202104/t20210401_1045338.html
2. CCTV News, "Wenbo Calendar丨The Atmosphere of the Ancients Sleeping Starts from the Pillow"
hatps://baijiyahaao.baidu.com/s?id=1779614384589703419&dfr=spider&for=pc
3. People's Information, "Why did the ancients love high pillows and hard pillows?
hatps://baijiyahaao.baidu.com/s?id=1728239778059719547&dfr=spider&for=pc