First Japan’s high-tech (and on-fire) toilets … and now this:
China public restroom has 1,000 stalls
July 6, 2007
BEIJING – They’re flush with pride in a southwestern Chinese city where a recently-opened porcelain palace features an Egyptian facade, soothing music and more than 1,000 toilets spread out over 32,290 square feet.
From my Japanese toilets post, I pulled a quote about a “culture of washing one’s backside.”
From this article, there is mention of “toilet culture.” (Again, I have to wonder if there is something getting lost in translation?)
“We are spreading toilet culture. People can listen to gentle music and watch
TV,” said Lu Xiaoqing, an official with the Yangrenjie, or “Foreigners Street,”
tourist area where the bathroom is located. “After they use the bathroom they
will be very, very happy.”
The emphasis on being happy after using the restroom also seems a bit odd.
Not as odd as urinals resembling the Virgin Mary …
Have you been to China? It really is an eye opening experience. In Beijing they rate their toilets according to a star system. Four star toilets litter the tourist attractions, but they can still be pretty dirty affairs. That was before I went to country China and discovered what a zero star toilet was. I’m a nurse, so don’t get too grossed out by a lot. But they were revolting. Holes in the ground, side by side (I discovered there’s nothing quite so bonding as peeing right next to your friend, especially in an open field, which was far cleaner believe me!), excrement everywhere, sanitary napkins everywhere… go the toilet culture of Beijing! I think they need it! (By the time I left China I’d started looking askance at everyone, imaging their toilet habits. Yuckie, yuckie!)
Yikes, no, I haven’t been to China! Eeeeewwww!