Did Mobile Toilets Exist in Ancient Times?
Mobile toilets existed in ancient times.
During the Han Dynasty, archaeological discoveries provided strong evidence for the existence of ancient mobile toilets. The lacquered wooden box unearthed at the archaeological site of the Eastern Zhou tomb in Lizhouao, Jing'an, Jiangxi, with its lower-layer lidded square box, is considered an ancient 'mobile toilet'. This indicates that as early as the Eastern Zhou period, there may have been prototypes of mobile toilet-like utensils. The bronze 'tiger-shaped urinal' unearthed from the tomb of Liu He, the Marquis of Haihun, was ingeniously designed and met the needs of portability, serving as a 'standard accessory' for nobles traveling far. It could be carried at any time to solve toilet needs and was a form of mobile toilet. The Han Dynasty imperial palace was equipped with stone toilets with armrests, connected to ceramic sewage pipes below. Although relatively fixed, they also reflected the importance placed on toilet facilities at the time. Moreover, ceramic toilet rings that could be transported as a whole were unearthed from the Yangfutou Han tomb in Sichuan, and a mobile toilet house with axles was discovered in an Inner Mongolian Han tomb, directly proving the existence of mobile toilets during the Han Dynasty.
By the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court in the Forbidden City mainly relied on portable utensils such as chamber pots, buckets, and commodes for daily use, without the widespread open fixed toilets found in modern cities. Terms like 'guangfang' and 'jingfang' commonly seen in Qing Dynasty palace archives referred to these portable toilet utensils. The use of chamber pots in the palace was not unique to the Qing Dynasty; ancient Chinese palaces and noble residences had long had utensils for collecting waste and facilitating transportation, with their shapes and forms varying according to the era, status, and materials. Wooden, ceramic, and metal chamber pots were commonly used in the palace, with those used by the emperor, empress, and high-ranking concubines being more particular about materials, wrapping, concealment, and cleanliness. For example, Cixi's chamber pot was often carved from sandalwood, with exquisite designs such as large geckos on the outside. The gecko's belly contained fine sandalwood powder, into which waste would immediately roll after falling, preventing any unpleasant odors. This not only reflected its luxury but also demonstrated the refinement and practicality of mobile toilet utensils at the time.
