World's probable first and 2,400-year-old flush toilet discovered in China; Know more

Broken parts of a 2,400-year-old flushable toilet discovered in China’s Shaanxi province last summer, were revealed to the public this year. The Chinese news outlet, China Daily reported that the manual toilet was found in the ruins of a palace located in Yueyang, dating back to the warring States period (424 B.C.) and was used till the Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 BC). Liu Rui, a researcher from the Institute of Archeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences claimed that the centuries-old toilet was the first and the only flushable toilet to be ever unearthed in China.  

“Everybody at the site was surprised, and then we all burst into laughter,” Rui said. The researchers from the Institute of Archaeology asserted that the manual toilet was considered as a “luxury” item and was only used by rulers. The ancient toilet was designed so the bowl inside would be connected to a pipe which would lead the waste down into an outside pit. The archaeologists were not able to find the upper half of the bowl from the evacuation site. 

Rui said that "the flush toilet is concrete proof of the importance the ancient Chinese attached to sanitation," and further stated that there were very few records of indoor toilets in ancient times.

Proper sanitation facilities continue to remain an issue in many parts of China. Notably, President Xi Jinping had assured citizens that during his reign, washrooms would be 'revolutionised' in efforts to improve rural hygiene.

The toilet may have been used by Qin Xiaogong

The researchers stated that the toiled may have been used by Duke Qin Xiao Gong, who lived from 381 to 338 B.C. or might have even been used under the reign of  Qin Xian’gong (424 to 362 B.C.). Researcher Rui also speculated that the users had to squat to use the toilets which may have belonged to the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 24 A.D.). “The flush toilet is concrete proof of the importance the ancient Chinese attached to sanitation,” said Rui. Before this, it was believed that the first flushable toilet was discovered by Sir John Harrington in the 16th century.