Of the many necessities in people's daily life, the simple pillow is close to the heart and head of us all.

Chinese ancient pillows were first made of natural stones and later the materials used extended to wood, jade, bronze, bamboo and porcelain. Surprisingly, among all these pillows, porcelain pillows were most widely used.

Porcelain pillows came into being with the development of porcelain-making crafts first appearing in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and their mass production began in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Porcelain pillows reached the climax in terms of production and use in the Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties (10th-14th century) .

In the development of porcelain pillows, the ones made in Cizhou Kiln in the north during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) were the most representative.

White glaze black lotus porcelain pillow, Cizhou Kiln of Song Dynasty, preserved at Shaanxi History Museum.

Porcelain pillows produced in this period feature a great variety and elegant modeling, including the geometrical shape, animals, architectures, human figures and other shapes. They also have colorful decorative patterns, and usually included the patterns of animals, plants, human figures, mountains and waters, and characters, etc. The modeling and decorative patterns on the pillows directly or indirectly reflect the culture, customs, fashions, and pursuits of the social life at that time.

Child Pillow, preserved at the Palace Museum, Beijing.