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Ancient China: Class Divides in Toilet Hygiene Revealed

4/8/2026

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Summary

Story summary

In ancient China, toilet use differed by class: commoners used leaves, pebbles, or tiles, while the elite used ce chou.
The wealthy employed silk, cloth, and ornate wooden or bamboo strips called ce chou for cleaning.
These ce chou strips were washed after use, but handling them could be painful.
Emperor Li Yu prepared ce chou for monks, testing its smoothness against his cheek.

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Story summary

In ancient China, toilet use differed by class: commoners used leaves, pebbles, or tiles, while the elite used ce chou.
The wealthy employed silk, cloth, and ornate wooden or bamboo strips called ce chou for cleaning.
These ce chou strips were washed after use, but handling them could be painful.
Emperor Li Yu prepared ce chou for monks, testing its smoothness against his cheek.