Portable Toilets in the Beijing Palace Museum
The Beijing Palace Museum used to have portable toilets, and now it has fixed public toilets that are being upgraded.
Past Situation of Portable Toilets
In the past, the Beijing Palace Museum did not have modern fixed toilets. Instead, it used a type of portable commode called a "guanfang" to address the toilet needs. Most guanfangs were made of wood, and some wooden frames were even decorated with carved patterns and gold inlays, possessing certain artistic value. The inner container of a guanfang was lined with a layer of incense ash. When a user defecated, the waste would fall into the incense ash, and the odor would be instantly absorbed, effectively reducing the spread of unpleasant smells. After use, the guanfang would be immediately carried away for cleaning to ensure hygiene for the next use.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were no fixed toilets in the palace mainly due to safety and hygiene considerations. From a safety perspective, it was not allowed to randomly dig tunnels underground to build fixed toilets as this could pose safety hazards and threaten the security of the imperial palace. From a hygiene standpoint, fixed toilets were prone to producing foul odors in summer and breeding a large number of mosquitoes and insects. In the event of an epidemic, given the high density of people in the palace, the poor sanitary conditions of fixed toilets could contribute to the spread of the epidemic, potentially causing the entire palace to be paralyzed.
Current Situation of Toilets
Nowadays, there are 14 public toilets set up in the open areas of the Palace Museum. These public toilets are managed by dedicated personnel and can basically meet the daily needs of visitors. Moreover, the Palace Museum is gradually upgrading the restrooms in the open areas with the goal of achieving the standards of "sufficient quantity, clean and odorless, practical and free, and effectively managed". Through these upgrades, visitors can enjoy a more comfortable, convenient, and hygienic toilet environment, further enhancing their visiting experience.
