Li Wen (李文) had heard about the turbo strength flush power and the lily scented soap. He knew about the stalls equipped with personal television screens and Wi-Fi, the soothing cello soundtrack and the windows lined with aloe vera plants.
However, 39-year-old Li, a salesman, was skeptical when he set foot in the new public toilet at the corner of Fuqian Square in Fangshan, a district in southwest Beijing.
“What was wrong with the old one?” he said. “The government has too much money and does not know how to spend it.”
Modern technology has changed nearly every facet of life in China in recent years, turning backwoods precincts into bustling cities and bringing cellphones to more than a billion people. However, public restrooms in many areas have remained largely unchanged, equipped with the same squat toilets and concrete pits that Chinese people have used for generations.
As the government seeks to improve sanitation and reduce environmental waste across the country, it is planning a major overhaul of public toilets. Over the next three years, it will build or renovate 57,000 restrooms, including some that will resemble the high-tech facility in Fangshan, the first of its kind in China.
The idea has won praise from many residents who have long deplored the squalid, crumbling condition of many restrooms. However, it has also brought criticism from those who say high-end toilets are a waste of resources.
“It is just a toilet,” said Lei Junying (雷俊英), 74, a retired farmer who lives in Fangshan. “Why do they have to make it such a nice one? The government puts out its hands and asks people to pay taxes. Why do they not donate that money to poor neighborhoods instead?”
The restroom in Fangshan, which includes a separate room with vending machines and an ATM, as well as charging stations for electric cars, has quickly become a popular stop. Every hour, dozens of people visit, sometimes staying to watch a video montage promoting environmental protection.
“Even the flush sounds different,” said Zhou Wang (周旺), 25, a driver from Beijing. “Maybe it will help bring more foreign visitors. They think we are backwards because of our toilets.”
The restroom in Fangshan is designed to conserve water by recycling wastewater from sinks to flush toilets. In addition to squat toilets, it offers several sitting toilets and dividers between the stalls, features that are not standard in Chinese public toilets.
However, it has maintained some Chinese characteristics, including a communal roll of toilet paper at the entrance and a separate bin for used toilet paper.
China has improved its toilets significantly in recent years, upgrading facilities for 593 million people between 1990 and 2010, according to the WHO. However, it says that the challenges are acute in poorer areas, and 14 million people still defecate in the open.
Chinese officials have said they plan to build more toilets like the one in Fangshan in other suburban and rural areas. The aim is to build “beautiful cities and livable homelands,” according to China.com.cn, a state-run news Web site.
Lu Suisheng (陸穗生), 69, a former teacher from Inner Mongolia, visited the toilet several times during a recent trip to Fangshan to see his son. He said it would help encourage people to take better care of the environment in China.
“Change is certainly needed,” he said. “In some Chinese toilets, people need to step on bricks to avoid stepping on dirty areas. How can you use toilets like that?”
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