Thousands have been left shocked after a man revealed what his great grandmother would use an ornate ceramic block for.
Chris, from Sydney, said his great grandmother, who is from China, passed down a small ceramic slab and he was surprised to learn she used it as a pillow while sleeping.
He had thousands reeling when he revealed that his relative slept on the pillow block length ways rather than flat to hold her head up off the ground.
The pillows are said to have dated back to the 6th century in China and were used up until the 19th century for many reasons including stay cool at night and even ward off evil spirits.
Chris joked the heirloom is one of the most ‘metal’ things his family owns and joked it may be the reason his ‘bad-a**’ great grandparent’s generation would call the following generations ‘soft’.
TikToker Chris has shocked viewers after revealing his great-grandmother who is from China used a ceramic block (pictured) as a pillow to sleep on
‘Ceramic pillows were popular in different areas of China during different periods of time,’ he explained in a TikTok video.
‘Apparently she slept on one like this and not in the way you think.’
Chris demonstrated how the head rests were used as he lay on the ground and propped his head just above his neck on the block long ways.
‘It’s not for me but it’s not as uncomfortable as I thought it was going to be,’ he said.
According to world-leading art and luxury business Christie’s, ceramic or porcelain Chinese pillows were used for a variety of reasons.
He had thousands reeling when he revealed that his relative slept on the pillow block length ways to hold her head up off the ground
Their main use was to beat the heat and keep the head cool and in alignment with the neck and spine during sleep.
The blocks were often beautifully decorated and would come in a variety of shapes including sleeping cats and people.
Some thought they kept the eyes healthy and others gifted them to newly weds in shapes and patterns they believed would bring the couple good luck.
Others were made in the shape of a lion or dragon which were thought to ward off evil spirits and banish the home of bad energy.
Chris’ clip which he captioned, ‘when they say our generation is soft, this is the only example I will accept,’ was viewed more than 725,800 times and had users in disbelief.
Ceramic Chinese pillows were often to keep the head cool and in alignment with the neck and spine. They were beautifully decorated and in a variety of shapes including cats and people
‘I’m fairly confident I would wake up paralysed,’ one woman said and another joked: ‘Imagine having a pillow fight and someone takes out this’.
‘Definitely not for side sleepers,’ quipped a third.
‘Kids these days with their soft, comfortable pillows,’ laughed a fourth.
‘I don’t understand because did people just not move in their sleep back then?’ someone else wondered.
‘Meanwhile I sneeze too hard and can’t move my neck for a week,’ a viewer chuckled.
Some people pointed out similar pillows were used by Geishas in Japan so they would not ruin their intricate hairstyles overnight.
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