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How scary the toilet situation is in China depends a lot on your experience in the world of toilets. You may be amazed—perhaps if you have spent time in Mongolia, Nepal or India—by the generally modern plumbing and sanitary standards of Beijing bathrooms. Or you may decide it is well worth it to risk kidney failure and strictly avoid all public bathrooms.
Here are some tips and strategies to help you navigate the vast gray area in between:
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Things are improving. As part of its billion dollar beautification campaign to gear up for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing is improving toilet facilities in all major tourist destinations, so the future looks good.
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To be safe, always bring your own toilet paper or portable pack of tissues. Except for upscale or western style establishments, there will rarely be paper in the stalls. There is sometimes a communal roll of toilet paper mounted on the wall inside the entrance.
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Always carry hand sanitizer. There is not always soap in the bathrooms (worries, if you are in a restaurant bathroom with no soap…), and even if there is, you might feel better using something a little stronger.
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Expect to squat. Most toilets in Beijing are squatters, though this is gradually changing so you will find western style toilets in major hotels, upscale restaurants, spas and even some fancier malls.
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In some bathrooms with more than one toilet or stall, one will be western style for handicapped or elderly use. Chinese people are accustomed to and even prefer squatting, so sometimes the only stall without the line is the non-squatter.
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Plumbing in many places is old, so even when the toilets are clean sewage smell can be an issue, especially if you are squatting mere inches above the toilet. Best to just hold you breath and be quick about it.
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Most hutong areas do not have private plumbing. Some renovated restaurants and cafés have added this, but you may have to use the public toilet down the alley. These range widely in cleanliness and smell factor, with many actually quite new and well maintained. Be warned: many of these have only short walls that separate the toilets, and no stall doors for privacy.
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Do not be fooled by the fancy facade in upscale Chinese dining rooms--sometimes these can still hide scary local bathrooms, so always be prepared.
- Send a canary into the coal mine. Choose a stalwart among your group to test the waters and determines where it is safe to go. Reward him or her well.
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If you leave the city, all bets are off. You might get lucky, but you’ll likely encounter your share of foul drop toilets that will make you wish you hadn’t had that extra beer at lunch. Bus stations and gas stations require particular courage or desperation.
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