An elegant term for Song Dynasty bathhouses, named for their use of fragrant herbs in water. A pot was always …
An elegant term for Song Dynasty bathhouses, named for their use of fragrant herbs in water. A pot was always hung at the entrance to mark the establishment. These bathhouses emerged as commercial ventures during the Northern Song Dynasty, catering to growing urban populations, merchants, and travelers. The Song government required businesses to organize into guilds ("zhu hang"), and those bathhouses were known as the "Fragrant Steam Haven."