China's Tourism Toilet Revolution

When you came China for travelling, do you often have the following feelings? You wanted to go to toilet really badly, but you preferred to hold out all the way till get back to the hotel? Even though you went to the toilet in tourist area, you would hold your breath and didn’t want to stay one more minute? After a long wait in line at the toilet gate, you would still have to use a squatting pot?

With the booming development of Chinese tourism industry, the tourist quantity is still climbing. As the most basic supporting establishment, toilet has a self-evident importance. Also, Chinese government and public have been deeply aware of the above questions and work to change the situation. Since 2015, China began to rectify the tourist toilets and set off a nationwide tourist toilet revolution. It is over 1 year now, the toilet construction in different regions have been in full swing.

What Have We Done?

1. National Tourism Administration had launched a 3-year action plan on national tourism toilets construction and management. There would be around 57 thousand tourism toilets being built and renovated in 3 years.

2. National tourism toilets on-site meeting was held regularly.

3. Tourism Toilets Management Guidelines was formulated and Tourism Toilets Quality Grading and Rating was revised.

4. According to National Tourism Administration, Ministry of Land and Resources and Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, 480 million of tourism development fund was arranged to support the local toilet revolution.

5. Donation of large-scale enterprise on toilet revolution.

6. Toilet Design Competition, Exhibition for Tourism Toilets, China’s Toilet Revolution Advance Day and other related activities was held.

7. Mapping software on Tourism Toilets service was developed to help look for a toilet nearby.

What Have We Achieved?

1. Up to now, China has built 17 thousand new tourism toilets and renovated 8 thousand toilets. Among them, the number of ladies’ room and portable toilets have increased sharply.

2. Regarding the problem of looking for toilets, most scenic spots have displayed the clear and apparent toilet guide map and added more toilet fingerposts in English, Japanese and Korean. Variety of tourism toilets mobile apps are available to help find a nearby toilet.

3. Different types of toilets are built, including squatting pot, pedestal pan and disabled only toilet to meet the requirements of different people.

4. Professional cleaning companies are employed to maintain the cleanness and sanity of tourism toilets.

5. New technologies and new materials are applied to build tourism toilets.

6. Toilet construction and scenic spots features are combined together to plan, design and build tourism toilets with local architectural characteristics.  

Squat Toilet & Western toilets

Squat toilets are common in Asian countries, but not seen in most of the Western world. It's more likely than not that a person will walk into a restroom and find a toilet that is level with the floor in China. Squat toilets aren't excessively difficult to use. The majority of a person's problems come from not being well-versed on how to use the squat toilets. So there may be some cultural misunderstanding on squat toilets and western toilet.

Western toilets, i.e. sitting toilets, are indeed more comfortable and convenient. It will save more strength to go to sitting toilets. However, according to the scientific research and eastern cultural tradition, squat toilet is more safer and sanitary to avoid virus cross infection between strangers in public places.

Leftover problems

Having read the above, you may happily believe there is nothing for concern to go to toilets in China. In fact, although we have made a great achievements in toilets revolution, there is still a long way to go on tourism toilet environmental management and cultural promotion.

Most toilets in scenic area have been renovated to be free and clean, but several toilets still have question on the bad smell and inadequate facilities. The general toilet environment are of varying qualities. A lot of toilets have been built up in some popular scenic spots, but the queues would still appear in peak tourism season. In addition, a fraction of tourists would swipe the free provided toilet tissue and liquid soup. Therefore, tourism toilets revolution will never end over a period of time, the latter work and task are arduous. Also, do please expect the better and cleaner tourism toilets environment and conditions. 

Warm tips

♦ Remember to bring toilet tissue with yourself before heading out. Because toilet tissue may not enough to supply so much people in scenic spots during holidays, festivals and peak tourist season. If you forget to bring them, please note to buy some in the supermarket or ask for some in the restaurant you had meals.

♦ The toilet conditions in some remote scenic spots or mountainous area are not very well. If you are heading for these places, please communicate the toilet issue with your guider and go to toilet before your arrival.

♦ Before going to a toilet, please have a family member or friend to keep bags, purses and other valuables in case of being stolen or missed.

♦ If you have no choice but to go to squat toilet unfortunately, it's necessary to stand with feet on either side of the squat toilet and keep your feet towards the middle of these grooves and flat. It's also important not to allow clothing to touch the floor even though the place seems clean.