Yahoo – AFP, November 27, 2017
China's 'toilet revolution' was launched in 2015 as part of efforts to make restrooms -- often squat toilets with no paper -- more tourist-friendly (AFP Photo/WANG ZHAO) |
Beijing
(AFP) - China's president has ordered the country to march on in its
"revolution" to clean up notoriously dirty and foul-smelling public
bathrooms in a bid to improve quality of life and boost tourism.
The
so-dubbed "toilet revolution" was launched in 2015 as part of efforts
to make restrooms -- often squat toilets with no paper -- more
tourist-friendly.
President
Xi Jinping said the toilet problem "is not a small thing" and
cleaning up is necessary to create a "civilised" urban and rural environment,
China's state news agency Xinhua reported Monday.
The country
expects to have added or upgraded more than 70,000 toilets by the end of this
year.
Another
64,000 will be built or enhanced between 2018 and 2020, the National Tourism
Administration has said in an action plan.
According
to Xinhua, since taking office in 2012, Xi has made a point on rural tours to
ask villagers whether they did their business in flushable toilets or pits dug
into the ground.
"In
rural areas, some toilets were little more than makeshift shelters surrounded
by bunches of corn stalks, and some were open pits next to pigsties," the
agency said.
"Local
authorities are now more aware of the important role toilets play, believing
better toilets are not only beneficial for tourism, but can also... enhance the
overall level of civilisation of society."
China's
infamous "squatty potties" arouse fear in some would-be tourists,
with several tourism blog posts dedicated to the subject.
While
studies have indicated that squatting may have health benefits over sitting,
the position is still hard to accept for those accustomed to porcelain thrones.
Public bathrooms
in China have also been known to be bereft of toilet paper thanks to
enterprising crooks sneaking out entire rolls for their personal use. Facial
recognition is now employed in some places to limit individual toilet paper
portions.
Internet
commenters applauded the restroom remodelling movement on Chinese microblogging
site Weibo on Monday.
"Support
the toilet revolution," one user wrote. "Seriously, whether it's in a
city or the countryside, when nature calls, it's always a hassle to find a decent
bathroom."