The Sun (Malaysia)

Xi orders China’s ‘toilet revolution’ to march on

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BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping 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.

Xi said the toilet problem “is not a small thing” and cleaning up is necessary to create a “civilised” urban and rural environmen­t, state news agency Xinhua reported yesterday.

China expects to have added or upgraded more than 70,000 toilets by this year-end.

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.

“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. – AFP

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