toilets

China’s “Toilet Revolution” In Full Swing as Clean-Up Campaign Launched

Fight for your right to potty

Stand up, and be slaves no more to long line-ups and unhygienic conditions! In order to improve conditions in washrooms around the country, the latest campaign in China’s “toilet revolution” will make sure that tourists visiting select sightseeing attractions can relieve themselves comfortably.

The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) is conducting month-long random inspections on bathroom facilities at tourist attractions throughout the country. The inspection will check to see if trash disposal, sewage treatment, and toilet conditions are up to standards, and if not will issue a warning or penalty.

One rule is all washroom line-ups for attractions rated 3A and above (out of five) must last no more than ten minutes.

The CNTA began its “toilet revolution” at the beginning of this year, announcing that it will build 33,000 new restrooms and renovate 24,000 existing ones throughout the country that will reach three-star standards by 2017. This past February, tourism authorities said they will build 13,000 new toilets and renovate another 9,000 at tourist sites this year alone.

Bathrooms in China are in a generally terrible state, with CNTA head Li Jizao admitting they get numerous complaints about Chinese bathrooms in regards to insufficient numbers, unhygienic conditions, and lack of management.

The World Toilet Organization said that sanitary toilet conditions and a greater number of public toilets at tourist attractions can help boost tourism in a country.

A March survey conducted by the China Tourism Academy, which has an affiliation with the CNTA, showed that the public perception of public bathroom is still not very high, with the best graded ones belonging to big cities like Shanghai, Chongqing, and Beijing.

Charles Liu

The Nanfang's Senior Editor