The "Neng Gai Zhai Man Lu" written by Wu Zeng in the Song Dynasty contains an article about "bathroom hanging pots". The bathroom should hang a pot as a trademark, of course it is a public bathroom. A lantern is hung at the door of the bathroom in old Yangzhou. It is lit at noon and blown out in the early morning. When it is lit, it tells customers that the bathroom is open. Therefore, there is a saying in Yangzhou: "The lanterns in the bathhouse are hung every day." Su Shi, a writer in the Song Dynasty who once served as the governor of Yangzhou, not only often went to the bathroom to take a bath, but also asked someone to rub his back from time to time. One of his poems "Ru Meng Ling" serves as evidence: "How have scale and scale ever touched each other? If you look closely, there is nothing there. I send a message to wipe people's backs. I have worked hard every day and wave my elbow. I have a light hand and a light hand. The layman is originally free from dirt." That is to say to the person who wipes the back: "Please be gentle with your hands and feet. I often come to bathe, and there is not much dirt on my body." Tracing the history of bathing in Yangzhou for more than 2,000 years, the tomb of Liu Xu, King of Guangling of the Western Han Dynasty, in the Tianshan Han Tomb Exhibition Hall Inside, there is a dedicated shower room. The inscription on the bronze lamp buried with him is recorded as: "Shangyu's name is Jiajiu". According to expert research and analysis, Yangzhou already had bathrooms in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and they were of a high standard. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, bathing had developed to its heyday. According to Li Dou's "Yangzhou Painted Boat Record" of the Qing Dynasty, "(Yangzhou's bathhouses) are such as the small Penglai on Kaiming Bridge; the white jade pool on Taiping Bridge; the screw-knot roof on the gap door; The Tao Hall in Ningmen, the White Sand Spring in Guangchumen, the small mountain garden on the ridge, the Qingying Spring under Beihe River, and the Guangling Tao in Dongguan were all extremely prosperous. "The largest bathhouse in Yangzhou at that time was the Gu Temple in Tanxiang outside the city. The layout of the bathhouse in Tangtang and Xinfengquan on Beimen Street is: "The Zibai Stone is used as the pool, with more than a foot, and there are several large and small grids in between. The larger one is near the wok with hot water, which is the big pool. The second one is the middle pool, and the smaller one is the middle pool. The one where the water is not very hot is the doll pool. The cabinets for storing clothes are arranged around the hall as the seating compartments, and the ones on both sides are the standing compartments, which are called the greenhouses. Massage is extremely luxurious. "According to contemporary records by Lin Sumen: During the Qing Dynasty, there were hundreds of bathhouses inside and outside Yangzhou. The prosperity of Yangzhou's bathing industry is evident.

In the past, people often called the bathroom "Huntang". Its origin is: the stoker in the old bathroom had to boil the water and often got up in the middle of the night to light a fire. There was a big iron wok (pot) on the furnace. , it is the very big iron pot next to the head pond, which is filled with water. After the furnace worker heats it very hot, the water will naturally flow into the head pond. The water in the Second Pond (Middle Pond) and Wawa Pond is not very hot yet. What to do? There is a person who specializes in watching the water mouth. He jumps into the water with a bucket or wooden stick and stirs the first pool and the second pool to mix the hot and cold. This is the origin of the name "Huntang" in the bathrooms in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai.

Li Dou listed so many bathhouses in Yangzhou, many of which have elegant shop names and are related to "pool" and "spring". Most of the pools used for bathing are made of alumite, which is clean and refreshing. "Abbott Yu" refers to a large pool generally over 10 square meters. "The space is divided into large and small grids, and the one close to the wok is a big pool with hot water." The so-called big pond is the one closest to the iron pot. People in Yangzhou are accustomed to calling them Touchi. There are wooden lattice partitions made of waterproof good wood to prevent the elderly and children from slipping in or getting burned, and it is also convenient for ordinary people to burn their feet. This is a very thoughtful idea.

"The cabinets for storing clothes are arranged around the hall as seating compartments, and those on both sides are standing compartments. They are connected to small rooms, which are called greenhouses." Bathers must have a place to take off their clothes when they come to take a bath. ,rest. There are also ordinary and mid- to high-end ones here. Ordinary rooms are on both sides, and the Kang seats are relatively short. Generally, you can only sit and rest, but bathing fees are relatively cheap. Suitable for the working people who take bath every day. The better kang seats are longer, and the clothing compartments are above and around the seats, making it easy to take off and put on, and people can also lie down and rest. Even more upscale is the so-called "warming room", which is also later called the "elegant room". Although the hall is small, it is very exquisite, where you can sleep and lie down, and it is close to the stove in the head pool. The air is round. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties without air conditioning, the greenhouse was relatively It is much more comfortable, and although the fee is higher, it is still popular with the upper class and doctors.

The next sentence talks about "the fragrance of tea and wine..." That is to say, after you have eaten and drank enough, there will be a dedicated waiter (service staff) to massage and massage you, making you extremely luxurious and comfortable. Yes, of course you have to pay extra.

Yangzhou people know how to take a bath. No matter from which perspective, it can be said to be a manifestation of enjoying life. Some people say that bathing is for hygiene, but this is probably not the only purpose. I can’t explain the psychology of people who take baths every day. In fact, the bathhouse in Yangzhou is a public social place. After taking a bath, you can drink tea and chat. It is also a place where members can chat and even discuss business. Acquaintances often drop by unexpectedly, making it a great place to meet.

The bathroom in Yangzhou is also a news release center. World events, clean government and anti-corruption, anecdotes about the workplace, neighbors planting flowers and raising dogs are all topics of discussion. You can lie down and close your eyes to hear all kinds of latest news. When I encounter a troublesome thing that I can't figure out, I go to the bathroom, take a shower, lie down for a long time, and then rub it, then the depression disappears, and I go out relaxed and happy. Some bathers will sit on the edge of the bathtub and hum a few verses of "Erhuang" and "Xipi" when they are happy. Just let them shout, and it will be interesting to taste their charm. After the Republic of China, bathroom kang seats also developed, and they were divided into long and short kangs, both made of wood. Make mats in the summer and mattresses in the winter. Changkang is divided into ordinary rooms and elegant rooms. The one with the best service level is "Yangzhou Bathhouse" on Su Chang Street. Generally, there are more than 20 seats in the bathroom hall, and the private rooms range from 2 to 6 people. The bathhouse is divided into official basin, ocean basin and guest basin. The so-called official basins and foreign basins, that is, bathtubs, are mostly placed near private rooms. They are cast and polished with enamel or higher-grade cement, and are equipped with soaps and cosmetics.

At that time, there were about 40 bathrooms in Yangzhou, which was considered to be too many based on the proportion of the population. Most of them are privately operated, and profits and losses belong to the boss. A very few are run by colleagues. Workers' wages adopt a split-account system, with both labor and management sharing a certain proportion based on turnover. Small services (back tapping, massage) are generally provided by the waiters, so the service is very warm and thoughtful. In the late Republic of China, there were only two women's bathhouses in Yangzhou, the Yangzhou Bathhouse Women's Department and the Shuangguiquan Affiliated Nvlin Bathroom. After liberation, Meiling Spring, Qujiang, Huaihai Bathhouses and Women's Department were added. The newly built bathing and leisure centers after the reform and opening up not only have men's and women's bathrooms, but also have luxurious equipment, clean environment, many types of bathing, and complete service facilities.