Ugly toilet

Author: Zha Xi Liu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: For centuries, the toilet has been integrated into people's lives, forming a unique culture of convenience for a specific period. Even when getting a haircut, the barber would ask: "Do you want a suit-style, flat-top, or toilet-style?" The starting point of the industry chain is naturally the toilet manufacturing industry, while emptying the toilet and collecting manure belong to the service industry. According to modern scientific terms, the former is the secondary industry and upstream industry, while the latter is the tertiary industry and downstream industry. Clearly, the use of toilet sludge as medicine and the comprehensive utilization of manure then fall into the category of easily overlooked yet profitable extended industries and marginal industries. If further (refined), the research, sales, and maintenance of toilets are undoubtedly indispensable parts of this industry chain. Like other industries, the market competition in the toilet industry has given rise to centralized business models. Under the framework of the manure collection service industry, countless dung collectors represent the lowest tier. In Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s, the number was as high as 5,000; those who owned hundreds of manure carts could become dung kings in certain territories, collecting rents, while the more powerful ones grew into leaders of groups like the Subei Gang and the Jiangnan Gang; and the underworld thrived, profiting from all sides with ease. This scenario is no different from the popular trades of that time and today. Similarly, the toilet manufacturing industry has also begun to show signs of centralized business models. In the Ming Dynasty, the wealthy merchant Shen Wansan gathered skilled craftsmen in Nanjing's southern suburbs, and specialized toilet workshops flourished. It can be said that the germs of capitalism had already emerged in the toilet industry centuries ago. A single bucket can reveal the whole picture. The study of toilets is vast and profound. If you delve deeper, you will be surprised to discover their clever application of human ergonomics and their unique contributions to military science. Of course, the perspective of observing a bucket varies from person to person. This book provides a comprehensive scan of the toilet industry, the result of Zha Xi Liu's six years of dedication. With his innovative vision, you will gain more insights and will find yourself looking at the toilet again and again.