Brief
Ancient Chinese 'kang' platform‑bed offers low‑energy heating model for cold homes
The Independent republished a Conversation piece explaining how the kang works and why it may be relevant to Britain’s energy‑bill crisis.
By Felo News Desk · Published
The Independent republished a December 2025 Conversation article that describes the "kang" – a heated earth platform‑bed used for millennia in Harbin, China – and argues it could inform low‑energy heating solutions in the UK as the Met Office predicts a cold weekend.
What happened
Harbin, a northeastern Chinese city of about six million people, experiences winter temperatures that regularly fall below –30 °C, with the warmest days rarely above –10 °C. The kang is a thick slab of compacted earth bricks built into the floor of a home and linked to the kitchen stove. When the stove is lit for cooking, hot air travels through channels beneath the slab, heating its mass. The slab then radiates warmth for many hours, allowing occupants to sleep or sit on it while the surrounding room remains cold.
What the report adds
The article notes that, unlike central heating which warms the air in every room, the kang only heats the surface people use, reducing fuel consumption. Because the heat source is the same fire used for cooking, the system saves on additional fuel. The author, an architecture researcher at a British university, highlights the kang’s efficiency: hundreds of kilograms of earth store heat and release it slowly, eliminating the need for radiators, pumps, or heating empty rooms.
What was said
The piece contains no direct quotations; it presents the author’s observations and technical description of the kang’s operation.
How it came about
The author grew up in Harbin and recalls waking on a kang as a child. Now, as an academic, they compare the tradition to modern UK heating challenges, noting that high energy bills and volatile winters demand low‑energy alternatives. The article was republished to coincide with a Met Office forecast of a temperature drop across parts of the UK.
Key facts
- Harbin winters regularly drop below –30 °C, with the warmest days rarely above –10 °C. (independent.co.uk)
- A kang is a thick earth‑brick slab linked to the kitchen stove, heating via hot‑air channels. (independent.co.uk)
- The heated slab stores heat for many hours, warming sleepers while the room stays cold. (independent.co.uk)
- The kang’s heat is generated by the same fire used for cooking, reducing overall fuel use. (independent.co.uk)
- Harbin has about six million residents, making it the largest city with such consistent extreme cold. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “The forgotten 2,000-year-old tradition that keeps you warm in cold weather”
