A pear-shaped container, the hu has a narrow neck that blends gracefully into an expanded midsection, which is sharply cut to a small base. The vessel can be suspended by means of lugs (ear-shaped protuberances) or rings attached to the body.

The hu, which had a pottery predecessor in the Neolithic Period (c. 5000–2000 BC), was found in the bronze art of the Shang dynasty (18th–12th century BC) and was especially common during the late Zhou dynasty (c. 600–256/255 BC), when its ample surface was handsomely decorated. With the increasing popularity and prestige of bronze vessels, inexpensive pottery duplicates were often made of the hu, especially during the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220).