Ximen Model Toilet Introduction
The Little West Gate Model Toilet was built in 1917 (the 6th year of the Republic of China) by Wu Chaoping, who returned home after engaging in business overseas. Wu Chaoping (1854-1936), also known as Jinzhang, and by his name Guangping (commonly used in Indonesia and Singapore), hailed from Little West Gate. In 1874 (the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing dynasty), he went to Indonesia's Sumatra and, together with friends, co-founded the business "Cheng Shun Fu" in the port city of Tanjung Balai Asahan, which was rich in glass production, focusing on local product trade. He later conducted business in Singapore and actively participated in community service in Southeast Asia. In addition to establishing the Pei Shan School in Sumatra, he was involved in various activities of the Kinmen Association in Singapore, such as funding the renovation of Wujiang Fuzhi Temple in 1919 and investing 1,000 Straits dollars during the founding of the Kinmen Steamship Company in 1922, the largest investment by any overseas Chinese merchant at the time. He was also awarded the title Kapitan in Sumatra, Indonesia, and spent his later years living in Gulangyu, Xiamen. After finding success in business, Wu Chaoping returned home in 1900 (the 27th year of the Guangxu reign) and planned a row of three two-story houses in Little West Gate. These were completed in 1903, 1905, and 1915, respectively. The old latrine in the Little West Gate settlement, originally located in front of Wu Chaoping's newly built houses, was relocated to the southwestern outskirts of the village to improve sanitary living conditions. Wu Chaoping purchased land and rebuilt a "Model Toilet" in 1917. The model toilet had 22 stalls numbered according to the original household count, with each stall comprising a toilet area and a collection pit. The stalls numbered 1 and 2 belonged to Wu Chaoping's family, featuring roofs for privacy, while the distribution of the remaining 20 open-air stalls was determined by a lottery, with contracts stipulating ownership. Each household was allocated one toilet stall for self-management and collection of wastewater for agricultural fertilization. The Little West Gate Model Toilet evolved from traditional latrines, fulfilling local public health needs and agricultural production requirements while reflecting the contributions and improvements of rural communities towards environmental sanitation and facility space. (Source: Kinmen County Cultural Affairs Bureau)
