Toilets In Ancient China
To put some more context into yesterday’s translation post, let’s take a real quick look at what toilets were like in 18th century China.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the sort of thing you can easily look up. There aren’t any books I’m aware of on the history of bodily functions in China. However, there are a few things that can give you a clue.
For example, this travel guide page includes some interesting information about the existence of toilets in the Forbidden City in the 18th century:
Interestingly, it seems that the royal family originally used chamber pots, which would be taken away through a special cart to avoid unpleasant smells:
You can imagine that Jia Rui probably was sitting on or next to one of those carts, which is why he became covered with filth as he waited in the dark.