Han Chinese Brides Carry Portable Toilets as Dowry: The Surprising Reason Behind This Ancient Tradition

• Han Chinese brides traditionally include a chamber pot in their dowry, a practice with deep historical and symbolic roots.
• Originally practical for sanitation before modern plumbing, the pot now symbolizes sustenance, life continuity, and household stability.
• In Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, the pot is carried in front of the bridal sedan and filled with items like red eggs and dates for fertility blessings.
• Yangzhou custom involves a decorated "purple copper chamber pot" filled with symbolic items, including a smaller pot and 13 red eggs, spread on the wedding bed.
• The tradition, which also includes rituals for male offspring, has declined with the widespread adoption of modern flush toilets since the 1980s.

Why It Matters: The Han Chinese chamber pot dowry symbolizes resilience, fertility, and prosperity, a tradition fading with modernization.