According to historical records, the name of the chair was first seen in the Tang Dynasty, and the image of the chair dates back to the Hu bed that was introduced to the north during the Han and Wei dynasties. There are images of two people sitting on chairs in the wall paintings of Cave 285 in Dunhuang. These images vividly reproduce the use of chairs and stools in the families of official nobles during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Although the seat had the shape of a chair and a stool at that time, people still used to call it "Hu bed" because there was no title of chair or stool at that time. In temples, it is often used for sitting meditation, so it is also called Zen bed. After the Tang Dynasty, the use of chairs gradually increased, and the name of the chair was also widely used, and it was separated from the category of beds. Therefore, when discussing the origin of chairs and stools, we must start with the Hu Chuang in the Han and Wei Dynasties.

There is another interpretation of the word "chair" before the Tang Dynasty, which is referred to as "beside the car", that is, the fence of the car. Its role is to rely on people when riding in a car. Later chairs, in the form of a fence mounted on a four-legged platform, were inspired by the fence next to the car, and the seat was called a "chair" according to its name. Judging from the existing data, the Tang Dynasty already has quite a chair.

From the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, tall seats were unprecedentedly popular, and the form of chairs increased, with back chairs, armchairs, armchairs, etc. appearing. At the same time, the shape, material and function of the chair are also different according to the different levels of dignity and inferiority. Furniture from the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty largely retains the legacy of the Tang Dynasty, but high-end furniture is more popular than before.