YOGAYUGA

Beijing toilet revolution becomes a hot topic since Olympic is approaching.

Chinese toilet can be unpleasant I totally agreed. Personally, I had very bad toilet experience once in up north China. Those toilets are located along the motorways from south to north. I found no lights, no doors but with thousands of mosquito flying around the whole toilet. It was horrible indeed.

Western media always reports that Chinese loves squat toilet, but it’s not so true. Squat toilets are common in Mainland China, but not very common in Taiwan, and also not common at all in Hong Kong. Usually, you will find eight out of ten are squat toilets in bathrooms of Mainland, and two out of ten are squat toilets in bathrooms of Taiwan. You will find none of squat toilets in bathrooms of Hong Kong.

Beijing hotel toilets are usually Western style (sit-down toilets) but can be a little shabby – not unhygienic, just aged. Most Chinese toilets have puny plumbing which can’t cope with toilet paper. There’ll be a basket by the side of the toilet, throw paper in there. This is the same situation as those toilets in Taiwan. You can always see a basket by the side of the toilet in Taiwan as they also have the same plumbing problem. Once I threw paper inside the toilet which was in the bathroom of my apartment in Taipei, I almost created a “toilet flooding” tragedy in my apartment. It was scary. So if any of you would pay visit of toilets either in Taiwan or Mainland, China, please remember not to throw any paper inside their toilets otherwise you will be in big big trouble. If you did it in public toilets, certainly you will get blamed by the toilet cleaning people.

Mainland public squat toilets often consist of little more than a hole in the ground. Privacy is almost unheard of, partitions usually consist of nothing more than a two foot wall if that, cubicle doors are an unheard of luxury. You may find several squat toilets in the same section of a bathroom without being separated by any wall at all. It means several people can use the toilets altogether by squatting next to eachother.

Hope you don’t find this post disturbing, but what I said here is totally true. However, all the public toilets of Beijing have been completed refurbished before Olympic starts. They are ready to meet the tourists and visitors of Beijing Olympic in August, but DON’T forget to bring your own toilet paper along. Toilet paper is not available at all.

Of course, I don’t like to squat!!! lol