Ancient Mobile Toilet

In ancient times, there were no strictly defined mobile toilets, but there were evolutions of facilities and utensils related to excretion, and mobile portable commodes only emerged during the Qin and Han dynasties.

In ancient times, human lifestyle was relatively primitive, and there was no fixed concept of toilets. People generally relieved themselves on the spot. When feces accumulated to a certain extent and had a significant impact on the living environment, such as breeding mosquitoes and emitting unpleasant odors, humans would choose to migrate and find new living places to avoid these inconveniences and health hazards.

As time passed, humans began to have relatively fixed living areas, and “fecal pits” emerged, which were simply mud pits dug into the ground for use as toilets. This form of “toilet” was rather crude, but it represented an improvement over relieving oneself anywhere, as it could concentrate and handle feces to a certain extent.

During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, “hùn ces” (a combination of toilet and pigsty) became popular among the people. This was a unique form where toilets and pigsties were combined, with human fecal waste directly discharged into the pigsty as feed for the pigs, achieving resource reuse. It was one of the earliest “ecological recycling toilets” in ancient times. This design not only solved the human excretion problem but also provided convenience for pig farming, reflecting the wisdom of humans in practical life at that time.

Strictly defined mobile portable commodes did not appear until the Qin and Han dynasties. At that time, they were called “huzi” and were mostly made of materials such as copper, pottery, and jade, shaped like a crouching tiger. They were mainly used by emperors and nobles at night, so that these elites did not have to go back and forth to outdoor latrines at night, making their lives more convenient. However, the use of “huzi” was rather limited, confined to specific noble classes, and was not a mobile toilet facility commonly used by the general public.