The Beijing Guide - Helping travelers discover Beijing and the 2008 Olympics

Toilets!

You will want to know how to recognise which toilet is for your sex and how to read the characters "public toilet". You don't have to be able to read Chinese - it is pattern recognition. Stare at the male and female a while, or copy them repeatedly on paper. Carry them with you and look at them while waiting in a line.

Chinese language character for Female Toilets in China
"" is the character for female. It is said to resemble the figure of a woman.
Chinese language character for male Toilets in China
"Nan" is the character for male. Note the stocky build and big head.

"Gong cuo" literally translates as "public toilet". You might see it on a sign post at an intersection or the side of a bathroom looking building. There are actually plenty of public toilets in Beijing if you keep you eyes open.


It also helps to be able to ask

- toilet at where?

(roll your mouse over above text to hear the Chinese)

The answer hopefully includes pointing. Head in the direction and watch for the above characters. Or ask again if you don't see it…

Most hotels and restaurants will have a toilet. Hutongs (old alleyways) also frequently have public toilets as many residents will not have toilets in their homes, only buckets for nighttime and elderly. If you are on a main street it may help to walk down an alley if you are in search of a toilet.

There are two flavours of toilets, "western style" and "Asian style". Westerners sit and Asians squat. Do be prepared to do some squatting as sometimes there is no choice.

public toilets in China for the 2008 Olympics Toilets in China vary greatly, which is probably why the government has started rating them with stars and handing out awards. I've never seen any awarded less than 3 stars - one and two star toilets don't seem to get labeled. Good one-star toilets are found in public places. A long trough with stall dividers 1/2 metre high makes mini-cubicles where you squat, smoke, read the newspaper and ignore everyone else. Once or twice a day someone runs water into one end of the trough flushing away hours of business.

Carry a piece of toilet paper for these occasions as none is provided. A one fen note although small has been used in times of need (1/100th of a Renminbi). Other advice - breath through your mouth.

Don't go to China fearing the toilets. This may make it sound bad but really its not. Another good idea is to go into five-star hotels or restaurants to use the facilities - they are generally up to or above western standards.



Keep your small change handy as sometimes there can be a fee of one Renminbi or less which is to pay the workers to keep it clean, etc, etc. The toilet on the right cost 0.2 Yuan which is two jiao (twenty cents). The word "mao" is often used for "jiao" when spoken. Below you see the one jiao note - at the above toilet you'd pay two of these:

public restroom facilities in China

Below is a multi-cultural 1½ star toilet with both Western and Asian style facilities:

toilet paper in China