I used to wonder how Chinese people slept on hard porcelain pillows in ancient times. For starters, they were way less comfortable then the goose-hair pillows available in modern-day supermarkets.
However, people used to wear intricate headwear back then, and pillows were usually placed under the neck instead of the head.
Apparently, these hard pillows not only provided a cooling effect, but also helped to maintain their hairstyle and prevent it from getting disheveled.
Read on (article in link below) to find out how these ancient pillows had evolved from the Sui Dynasty (581-618) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-03-22/A-journey-through-the-history-of-Chinese-porcelain-pillows-1inI90PTAbe/index.html
