Upon arrival in China, every foreigner goes through a fair number of culture shocks. For many, (perhaps apart from getting used to Chinese chopsticks), the shock of public toilets ranks first.
The shock of a toilet without a door
The biggest shock for me was some of the types of public toilets in China and Nepal - in some places (mostly small villages and remote areas) the individual toilets are not even separated by a wall or partition, they are all together in one larger room. Fortunately they are still separated into male and female. Strangers unfortunately (especially in more remote areas) attract quite a lot of attention, and that's not very convenient if you need to do a quick errand and go. On the other hand, toilets open like this offer the opportunity for conversation and making new friends. It has happened to me countless times in such places that fellow women in the restroom area have smiled, waved and greeted me. You can see these toilets in China in some old bus and train stations - it's basically a long trench, often not even separated into individual seats. At the end of the ditch hangs a bucket of water, and when you flush, you flush all of it at once, not just your share.
Shock from the toilet under the shower
Another shock for me was the shower, directly under which is a Turkish toilet. It's a good way to solve the lack of space in the bathroom, but at first it was quite uncomfortable for me as a European - we generally have a bit more space in European bathrooms than we do in some Chinese buildings, and we're not used to it.
Shortened muscles and tendons
To use Turkish toilets it is important to squat down to the heels. If a person has weak gluteal and abdominal muscles, as well as shortened hip flexors and spinal extensors, they will not be able to get fully into a deep squat all the way to the heels. Fortunately, this is not a problem for me, but it is for a lot of foreigners (of Western descent). This creates a purely practical problem for many - balancing in a high squat is not comfortable at all.
Turkish toilet - healthier than a sit-down toilet?
The squatting position has been shown to relieve pressure in the lower abdomen and straighten the colon, making it many times more natural for elimination than sitting on a toilet seat. Squatting is thus a healthier option for proper digestive and excretory function. At the same time, the squatting position is also recommended for pregnant women because there is no pressure on the uterus. The Chinese thus have much healthier habits in this respect than the inhabitants of Western countries.
Other advantages include the fact that the Turkish toilet is more hygienic - body contact with the toilet bowl is eliminated to a minimum, which is especially useful in places that are not always kept clean - remote areas and public toilets in general.
One can say that sit-down toilets are already quite common in Chinese cities (as an alternative to Turkish toilets, which are also very common in cities), while in the countryside, perhaps 100% there are Turkish toilets everywhere.
Significant improvement
I spent a lot of time in China between 2013 and 2022 and I dare say I noticed a lot of progress and improvement. Currently, during a normal stay in the city (I lived in Chengdu), the availability and cleanliness of public toilets is perhaps even better than in many cities in the Czech Republic. There is a public toilet in almost every metro station in Chengdu. The toilets are regularly kept clean and (perhaps only outside the busiest stations) toilet paper is almost always available. Sinks with running water, liquid soap and paper towels are also commonplace. Apart from metro stations, I have also had good experience with public toilets, for example at temples or monasteries, in parks, at motorway rest areas - almost everywhere clean and odourless, with toilet paper, running water and soap available. Unfortunately, in remote areas or small villages, public toilets are not always in 100% clean condition, but I believe that even this situation will change quickly in the future - so far I have witnessed a huge shift and improvement in a very short time, and I think all indications are that this progress will not slow down or stop.
(VB)
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