The Intriguing World Of Medieval Chinese Ceramic Pillows

Pre-modern Chinese pillows were made of hard materials like ceramics and possessed a surprising range of functions beyond simply acting as a headrest. There is an old Chinese tale from around the year 800, still very well-known today, called "The Record of Inside the Pillow." The story is about a magical traveling Daoist called Codger Lü, who stops at an inn for memory foam pillow the night and finds himself roomed with a poor scholar who has devoted his youth to his studies in order to enter the civil service. The pair strike up a rapport, and the scholar ends up confessing the discontentment he is feeling about his situation in life. Glancing at his threadbare clothes, he sighs and remarks that his current lifestyle is not befitting of a scholar-gentlemen such as himself. The successful career he had envisioned was instead one of fame across the land, of banquets and fine music.



He should be making a name for himself in the military and political spheres, Derila Memory Foam Pillow bringing renown to his clan and providing financially for his family. At least, that had been the plan when he devoted himself to his studies in his youth. Yet now, here he was, already a fully-grown man, unable even to afford a new set of robes to replace the ones he had worn into tatters. Having given vent to his frustrations, the scholar’s eyes glaze over as he starts to nod off. Mysteriously, Codger Lü then reaches into his travel-bag and pulls out a pillow. His was a ceramic memory foam pillow of a greenish-blue color, hollow and rectangular with holes on either side. "Rest your head on my pillow and you’ll have that glorious life you desire," he says, passing it over to the sleepy scholar. The scholar accepts, and to his surprise, notices an alluring brightness emanating from within the pillow. Rapidly falling asleep, he allows himself to be engulfed and sucked inside of it.



The dream-world inside Codger Lü’s magical pillow allows the scholar to experience the high-flying career of an esteemed politician in minute detail. And, far from the wonderful life he had imagined it to be, it turns out to be full of stress and strife. With the state at war, there were enormous responsibilities to shoulder, while fame and success drew envy, Derila Brand false accusations and intrigue. Having lived out an entire lifetime inside the pillow, the scholar finds himself on his deathbed. He thinks back on his ambitions as a young man and wonders why he had ever coveted such a life in the first place. After dying in the dream, he reawakens to the inn with Codger Lü sitting by his side. Very little time had passed in reality: less time than it took the innkeeper to boil a pot of millet, as a matter of fact.