Westerners bowled over by state of public toilets

It takes a certain strength to climb the Great Wall — and an entirely different kind to use its restrooms.

Public toilets in China continue to be the subject of much complaint, particularly among foreign visitors, either because of their lack of cleanliness, lack of cubicles for females, no soap or no disabled access.

 

A public toilet at an industry development zone in Liaocheng, Shandong province, on Tuesday. Mu Yizhou / for China Daily

To stop the griping, authorities nationwide are working to provide more pleasant accommodations for people who want to "spend a penny".

The Beijing Tourism Development Committee started a campaign this year to improve toilets at places of interest.

"Some toilets had been out of service for a long time," said Zou Honglei of the committee's public service department.

China does not have a national standard, but in general, he said, the more popular the location, the better the restrooms.

"No one wants to go to a scenic spot with a smelly bathroom," he added.

Beijing's Commission of City Administration and Environment, which is responsible for public toilets, has introduced several measures such as the "two-fly rule", which states a toilet cannot have more than two flies, and a command that the ratio of female to male cubicles must be 2 to 1.

And it is not just the capital. Shenyang in Liaoning province has invested 5 billion yuan ($ 790 million) since 2008 to build high-quality toilets and revamp old ones.

"Most public toilets are now no more 300 or 500 meters apart," said Li Cheng with the city's environmental sanitation division. "Many old toilets have been torn down."

Shenyang has come up with a regulation on management that requires public service institutions and real estate developers to include decent restrooms in new constructions.

"Complaints have decreased by 70 percent since 2008," Li said.

Tianjin has also been replacing old restrooms. According to the city's construction project management office, 71 public toilets were built in the past two years, including disabled access and other necessities, such as tissue and soap.

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