 | These medical notices have been carefully researched, but they are made no guarantee. A conversation with the person responsible Family doctor or one travel medicine or tropical medicine advice center is recommended in case of health problems or uncertainties. Also note: Note on health issues |
background
Chinese toilets are notorious around the world, and be prepared for them before you travel.
Until a few years ago, toilets were in China not an issue, at least not for the Chinese. The abysses of dirt, stench and excrement shocked even visitors from developing countries, while the locals were not bothered in the least.
A rethink is now beginning here. Through the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the World Exhibition 2010 in Shanghai the public toilets there were renovated and new ones built. In addition, official toilet officers have been appointed in many provinces.
As a result, the situation in the major tourist cities has improved significantly. However, travelers still have to expect to find public toilets in horrible condition, especially away from the known destinations.
Current situation
 You don't even have to go to the toilet that public in China: An exhibition pavilion at the 2010 World Exhibition in Shanghai. |  When looking for a western toilet, you often get the tip to go to a fast food restaurant. In this McDonalds in the center of Beijing, that didn't work out. |
In China are Standing toilets common, which is also known from other parts of the world. The Chinese crouch down deeply and are therefore mobile well into old age. On the street you can often see Chinese people waiting, crouching down for comfort, which many Europeans usually can't manage anymore, let alone that it would be comfortable for them.
Sometimes a porcelain attachment can be found that can be placed on the hole in the floor as a sliding toilet bowl.
Since the sewage system in some buildings is not up to the amount of toilet paper, there is a bucket for it next to the toilet. Somewhat modern hotels, however, have overcome these times.
Partitions or cubicles are a matter of luck. The Chinese are used to watching each other in the toilet, and as a Western foreigner you are a show object anyway and have to expect gawking. If you find cubicles, a sign on the door often shows whether there is a standing toilet or a toilet behind them.
Toilet paper or soap are rarely or not at all common in public toilets. See tips for travelers below.
In Tourist hotels one finds almost exclusively the western toilet bowl. Especially in western and / or larger hotels, the probability is very high that you will find western toilets that are also clean. Most of the time, the better the hotel, the better the toilets are. But you have to reckon with the fact that the other way around, the Chinese will stand on this bowl with shoes and find the prints there. Paper and soap are regularly available in these hotels.
In the 1st class compartments of the Trains there are usually two toilet cubicles at one end of the wagon, one for standing and one for sitting, and a washroom at the other end. If you drive overnight, you should perhaps get up a little earlier, because the use of the system does not make the systems cleaner.
In the country you can still find toilets with the dirt on the floor and which are never cleaned. Sometimes you have to make an open tube that leads past several places, and depending on the location, the business of others then swims by under your own bum. The pipe leads to an open pit outside the building, the stench shows where the toilet is from a long way off. Such extreme cases are becoming increasingly rare, but they still exist.
Public toilets are often given a system of up to 5 stars, with a good rating being an indication but not an absolute guarantee.
Tips for travelers
Paper and soap must be carried with you at all times when traveling to China, e.g. in the form of small liquid soaps / hand disinfectants from the hotel or as disinfectant wipes. Therefore, as a tourist, you should always have handkerchiefs with you to be on the safe side. Even in Beijing or Shanghai you can't be one hundred percent sure.
If you are looking for a western and, above all, clean toilet, you can always go to a hotel or a restaurant. Especially in western and / or larger hotels, the probability is very high that you will find western toilets that are also clean. Most of the time, the better the hotel, the better the toilets are. This is not a problem and usually nobody asks questions. The way to the toilets is usually well signposted. Last but not least, it is helpful that the Chinese are just as bad at telling Western faces apart as Europeans are Chinese. If you want and have the time, you can of course ask politely. One often hears the tip to visit fast food restaurants like McDonalds.
Opportunities to go to a clean toilet are not to be missed.
Particularly important: Many travelers arrive in Beijing or Shanghai first. The toilets there are in much better condition than in the rest of the country. Under no circumstances should one therefore believe that the situation is not that bad after all and, for example, carelessly no longer carry toilet paper. If you do not go on longer trips of several days, a small hand disinfectant and 1 to 2 packs of tissues are sufficient as described above.
However, in fairness one has to admit that the toilet situation has improved to such an extent that it has become completely manageable with the above information. The times when western tourists largely avoided solid food in order not to have to go to the bathroom are over.
Who at a guided Package tour there is little need to worry about the topic. The tourist guides know where to go. While normal words for toilet are also used in the Chinese language, travel companions are also taught during their training not to speak of a toilet system, but in German of a “harmony break” in a “temple of harmony”. In English, however, the term "happy hour" is used.
