Somewhat a little overdue to pay attention to, but better late than never. If you guys are perturbed by PRC's shitting habits, take a look at how they're trained. It's not as bad in the main cities like Shanghai, but some inland places (was at Lhizhiang a few years back for a seminar) really stay on your mind once you've visited their public toilets. My colleague and me still laugh over our visit there, I am unable to poo in there - where everyone can see you poop! I suppose to the mainlanders, this is "normal." Let's see how this progresses in China.
Cheers!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/d...1354965/China-to-start-toilet-revolution.html
China to start 'toilet revolution'
China announces campaign to improve and modernise its public loos following complaints from tourists
By Natalie Paris
12:56PM GMT 19 Jan 2015
Chinese toilets are widely considered to be the pits. In many cases, they actually are a row of pits, separated by nothing but low walls – no cubicles, no doors, no privacy.
Going to a public toilet in China, especially one located at the side of a motorway, essentially means squatting above a trench while contributions from those at your elbows wash leisurely past beneath you.
Don’t look down and don’t make eye-contact are good rules for visiting travellers - ones that the locals don't always observe. I have a friend who was offered a drag on a cigarette by the man squatting next to him in one public lavatory. Incidentally, the chap was also managing to read a newspaper spread across his knees at the same time.
And it's not just the sights and smells waiting to catch you out. You'll also needs sturdy thighs and a degree of core strength to make do without a seat.
But as China’s middle class grows and travels more widely, the country seems to have finally realised its bog standards leave much to be desired.
Following complaints from visitors, Beijing last week announced the start of a revolution (or "revo-loo-tion") that should see the number of toilets at tourist sights rise, along with their quality.
Li Jinzao, the head of China's National Tourist Administration, admitted that the current state of the toilet infrastructure was not good enough and promised to make public conveniences cleaner, and better managed, as part of a three-year plan.
Around 33,500 new toilets will be built in the country in the near future and another 25,000 will be earmarked for renovation, as Jinzao predicted that direct investment in China's tourism sector would hit three trillion yuan (490 billion US dollars) in the coming three years.
The goal, with the help of local authorities across China, is to bring each bathroom up to a "three-star rating" by 2017.
Not all Chinese toilets are as daunting as those pictured above, of course. This spectacularly-placed toilet found along a popular walking trail in Tiger Leaping Gorge, in the Yunnan region, is a definite contender for the world’s best “loo with a view”.
It will be a while though before standards match those in Japan, where tourists are treated to the most luxurious loo experience known to man. In this technology-obsessed land, even standard bowls offer a bewildering choice of sprays, washes, blow-drys and derriere perfuming.
Some also automatically raise their lids as you approach, the equivalent of seeing a toilet smile as it heats up your seat. If all loos gave as warm a welcome the world might be a happier place.
Cheers!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/d...1354965/China-to-start-toilet-revolution.html
China to start 'toilet revolution'
China announces campaign to improve and modernise its public loos following complaints from tourists
By Natalie Paris
12:56PM GMT 19 Jan 2015
Chinese toilets are widely considered to be the pits. In many cases, they actually are a row of pits, separated by nothing but low walls – no cubicles, no doors, no privacy.
Going to a public toilet in China, especially one located at the side of a motorway, essentially means squatting above a trench while contributions from those at your elbows wash leisurely past beneath you.
Don’t look down and don’t make eye-contact are good rules for visiting travellers - ones that the locals don't always observe. I have a friend who was offered a drag on a cigarette by the man squatting next to him in one public lavatory. Incidentally, the chap was also managing to read a newspaper spread across his knees at the same time.
And it's not just the sights and smells waiting to catch you out. You'll also needs sturdy thighs and a degree of core strength to make do without a seat.
But as China’s middle class grows and travels more widely, the country seems to have finally realised its bog standards leave much to be desired.
Following complaints from visitors, Beijing last week announced the start of a revolution (or "revo-loo-tion") that should see the number of toilets at tourist sights rise, along with their quality.
Li Jinzao, the head of China's National Tourist Administration, admitted that the current state of the toilet infrastructure was not good enough and promised to make public conveniences cleaner, and better managed, as part of a three-year plan.
Around 33,500 new toilets will be built in the country in the near future and another 25,000 will be earmarked for renovation, as Jinzao predicted that direct investment in China's tourism sector would hit three trillion yuan (490 billion US dollars) in the coming three years.
The goal, with the help of local authorities across China, is to bring each bathroom up to a "three-star rating" by 2017.
Not all Chinese toilets are as daunting as those pictured above, of course. This spectacularly-placed toilet found along a popular walking trail in Tiger Leaping Gorge, in the Yunnan region, is a definite contender for the world’s best “loo with a view”.
It will be a while though before standards match those in Japan, where tourists are treated to the most luxurious loo experience known to man. In this technology-obsessed land, even standard bowls offer a bewildering choice of sprays, washes, blow-drys and derriere perfuming.
Some also automatically raise their lids as you approach, the equivalent of seeing a toilet smile as it heats up your seat. If all loos gave as warm a welcome the world might be a happier place.
