The toilet revolution is anachronistic in different historical periods. Experts and scholars define the revolution as a gradual process aimed at improving public health and environmental quality.

The toilet revolution went from manure management in the early days of the founding of New China, to the primary health care in the 1980s, the creation of sanitary cities in the 1990s, through the improvement of the rural living environment today, and it is in line with China's overall development strategy.