Revolutionary loos

Many foreign tourists rate the vile toilets as the most unpleasant experience in China. Here is the good news: officials in Beijing are determined to 'revolutionise' the country's facilities, to make its loos user-friendly, hi-tech and environmentally sound.

Beijing has 4,000 public toilets, half of which will disappear because indoor plumbing in new housing projects is making neighbourhood latrines unnecessary. Currently, 500 public toilets are considered good enough to meet modern standards. The goal is to increase that number by about 200 a year. All the facilities built with public money are free to use, but the government wants to franchise toilets where you have to pay. The city intends to build enough toilets so that a pedestrian could find relief within five or 10 minutes of feeling the urge.

The public toilet revolution begins with better facilities for women. The ratio, which now stands at three to two in favour of men, will be reversed to reduce the waiting time for female users. Wheelchair access and stalls for the handicapped are mandatory in all new constructions. New regulations on wash areas, lighting, ventilation, waste disposal and graffiti removal will replace the 1987 ordinance on 'sanitation, utility and economy'.

Regardless of who is building it, the new public toilet has to be in harmony with the surrounding cityscape. No ultra-modern European pissoir will be found in the vicinity of the Forbidden City, or Chinese pavilions with flying eaves in the chrome-and-glass business districts.

A city official said that in terms of structure, top public toilets in Beijing compared favourably with those in developed countries, although the 'service' part needed improvement. He noted that lavatories in the West provided toilet paper, seat covers and paper towels, while Beijing toilets only offered scratchy paper.

Indeed, some out-of-town visitors pose for pictures in front of elegant chalets in the parks, which turn out to be lavatories.