Women’s Personal Hygiene in Premodern China: A Gendered Analysis of History of the Toiletry Box (Lianshi)

Abstract

The Lianshi奩史 (History of the Toiletry Box) is a copious work about women’s personal hygiene articles, compiled by Wang Chutong (1729-1821). The personal hygiene articles can be broadly divided into the following categories: articles for hand washing, dental care, hair grooming, going to the restroom, bathing, perfuming, and protection from evils. These items are living fossils of the premodern material culture and a testimony to the fusion of Chinese culture and Western culture. They reflected perception of health care at the time and are useful references for modern perception on preventive care. If viewed from a gendered perspective, these items are also objects used for “training” women. In analyzing the text of Lianshi and archeological discoveries, paintings, and murals, this paper reconstructs how women in premodern China cultivated and practiced their personal hygiene.