Why Empress Dowager Cixi and people in ancient China used animal faeces in beauty routines

In ancient China, it was not uncommon to use animal excrement in beauty treatments, a practice exemplified by Manchu Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908), who reportedly included bird droppings in her lifelong skincare routine. Cixi, who rose from a low-ranking concubine to power as regent, effectively ruled the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) for nearly 50 years, from 1861 until her death in 1908. While she navigated China through major challenges such as the Boxer Rebellion, foreign imperialism, and...