Introduction: People have three anxieties, why did the ancients not design toilets in the Forbidden City, and how to solve the convenience of tens of thousands of people?
Located on the central axis of Beijing, the Forbidden City was built in 1406 AD by Ming Chengzu Zhu Di to model it on the Nanjing Palace, and the Forbidden City besieged the city for 14 years until it was completed in 1420 AD. The Forbidden City is called"
Forbidden city
As many as 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived here, and it also occupies a very important position in Chinese history.
Interestingly, the palace is large and palatial, equivalent to a small city. According to the area of the Forbidden City and the rooms, there is no problem with the tens of thousands of people living inside, so the problem is also coming, why did the ancients not design toilets in it when they built the Forbidden City? How to solve the problem of convenience for tens of thousands of people?
The "convenience" of the Forbidden City is actually inconvenient
The wisdom of the ancients is infinite, and so far, in terms of craftsmanship and cultural relics, the ancients have left us with nothing but amazement or amazement. Therefore, there is no such thing as forgetting to design a toilet.
When I visited the Forbidden City, I was reminded by a friend before I went, asking me to pay attention to what the toilets of the ancients looked like. Then I foolishly went from beginning to end inside and didn't notice. Later, I quietly asked the tour guide, and I knew that I was tricked.
When the Forbidden City was designed, because there was no flushing toilet at that time, a mobile toilet was designed. How could such a thing as a dry toilet appear in a royal courtyard? First, it is not easy to clean up, and it is not easy to cover up the smell, so for the noble emperor's concubines, how can they go to the "squat pit".
As mentioned earlier"
Mobile toilet
"That is, the ancient Gong bucket, the emperor out of the Gong, here out of the Gong is the meaning of going to the toilet." Ancient feudal society was originally an old society with a strict hierarchy, even if the emperor went to the toilet, he had to be higher than others, no way, the strength was here, low-key is not allowed.
The emperor's toilet is called"
Official room
", not called the toilet, the emperor's urinary utensils are called "tigers", just listening to the name feels majestic. Usually, these two utensils have a special responsible eunuch for safekeeping, when needed, only need to shout, the eunuch will take the things over, after use, take away and clean up.
Concubines naturally also had "official houses" that matched their rank, usually carved from sandalwood. Here I would like to talk about why sandalwood is used, and other woods are not?
An important reason is that sandalwood itself has its own aroma, and the fragrance of sandalwood can suppress the taste of excrement, so that the concubine can feel more faceless to the greatest extent.
According to legend, the "official house" used by Empress Dowager Cixi was carved in the shape of a gecko. The gecko is lying on the ground, its head is where the paper is released, the huge abdomen is carved into a hollow shape, which can be opened with a lid, and the tail is rolled up upwards, acting as a handrail. The whole carving is exquisite, and those who don't know it think it is a craft.
When in use, the gecko's empty stomach will be sprinkled at the bottom with a thick layer of incense wood chips, and the excrement that is convenient will be absorbed by the wood chips, and after the convenience is completed, these wood chips will generally be burned, which is a better way at the time, but it is a little unenvironmental to look at now.
What is said here is a small trumpet, if it is a large size, the process is a little more complicated, the underground wood chips are basically replaced by water, and a layer of rose petals is sprinkled in the clear water, on the one hand, it can play a role in shielding the odor, on the other hand, it can prevent splashing water.
Different concubines, depending on the level of the level, although there are some differences, but the basic process is much the same.
What will happen to the poop in the bucket
As mentioned earlier, Lafayette's urine will be burned, but there are so many people in the palace, not all of them will have this treatment. Eunuchs and palace ladies are the main force of the toilet, and their "Gong Bucket" will be placed in the "Gong Room", and when they are in a hurry, they will rush to the Gong Room to solve it.
Eventually, the excrement was periodically moved outside the palace, usually on the fourth, fourteenth, and twenty-fourth days of the month. The feudal dynasty is long gone, the original Gong bucket placed in these Gong rooms has long been cleaned, and now there are only empty houses left, so this is also the reason why many people do not know where the toilet is for half a day.
postscript
From a simple convenience alone, there is so much attention, not to mention other aspects. What was reflected was the arrogance and lasciviousness of the rulers at that time, and how miserable and pitiful the children of the poor families who survived in the palace were.
Fortunately, in the prosperous world, the old feudal cannibalistic society was far away from us, and I turned and walked out of the Forbidden City, with a trace of heaviness. I took the car back to my hometown, the history is long gone, and I have to work hard for my happy life.