How ancient Chinese people warmed their hands in winter

As winter comes, hands and feet can easily get cold (手脚易受凉, shǒu jiǎo yì shòu liáng), especially among women. Thick gloves (厚手套, hòu shǒu tào) might be a good choice, yet sometimes wearing them is not convenient, especially when people want to do something with their hands.

However, this was not a problem for ancient Chinese people, who had a more exquisite tool to keep their hands warm: hand warmers (手炉, shǒu lú).

There is no accurate written record regarding the origin of this tool, but there are some tales about its invention.

One folk story concerns Emperor Yangdi from the Sui Dynasty (隋炀帝, suí yáng dì) (581-618) who visited Jiangsu in the winter. Due to the bitter cold, the local official asked manufacturers to make a small warmer for the emperor that could be held in one's hands. Thus the hand warmer was created.

By the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the tool was in widespread use. Techniques for producing the tool were extensively employed in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).

Many poems and books from this period recorded people using hand warmers.