The forbidden public toilets of Beijing

[blank_quest]

I didn't say that. But I do believe having no toilet is human right violation.

There are less toilets and NOT NO Toilets

 

[Bangalorean]

I am not trolling, the thread is about toilet and I am talking about toilet. What are you talking about ,may I ask?

Of course you are trolling. The original point that I made in my post was that Indians criticize their own country here on this forum, and discuss Indian issues most of the time. Which is absolutely true.

You converted that into a question of "why do Indians talk about China at all", and started talking about Indian toilets.

 

[nimo_cn]

Of course you are trolling. The original point that I made in my post was that Indians criticize their own country here on this forum, and discuss Indian issues most of the time. Which is absolutely true.

You converted that into a question of "why do Indians talk about China at all", and started talking about Indian toilets.

I believe the question should be why do Indians talk about Chinese toilets while their own are worse.

To be honest, I am bewildered by this phenomenon at DFI.

Sent from my T8830 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Bangalorean]

I believe the question should be why do Indians talk about Chinese toilets while their own are worse.

To be honest, I am bewildered by this phenomenon at DFI.

Sent from my T8830 using Tapatalk 2

Heh - you want to play that game, do you? You want to look for 'credentials' to discuss toilets?

I'm pretty sure my toilet is better than yours, and most average Chinese families. Where I stay, I have 5 toilets/bathrooms, and continuous running water, hot and cold, in all of them. Among them, two have bathtubs, one has electronic "shower panel", one has "rain shower". And... oh well...

This is far far better than the average Chinese household. Now, since you know that I have the credentials to speak about toilets and bathrooms, do yourself a favour and stop dragging this point. Unless you want to know more about commodes and other plumbing details installed in the houses of various DFI members... considering the amount of time you are spending belaboring this point, you might even have a toilet fetish for all we know!!

Let us know if that is the case, I am sure DFI members would be delighted to indulge you with photos and descriptions of the toilets in their respective homes and offices.

 

[libindi]

Heh - you want to play that game, do you? You want to look for 'credentials' to discuss toilets?

I'm pretty sure my toilet is better than yours, and most average Chinese families. Where I stay, I have 5 toilets/bathrooms, and continuous running water, hot and cold, in all of them. Among them, two have bathtubs, one has electronic "shower panel", one has "rain shower". And... oh well...

This is far far better than the average Chinese household. Now, since you know that I have the credentials to speak about toilets and bathrooms, do yourself a favour and stop dragging this point. Unless you want to know more about commodes and other plumbing details installed in the houses of various DFI members... considering the amount of time you are spending belaboring this point, you might even have a toilet fetish for all we know!!

Let us know if that is the case, I am sure DFI members would be delighted to indulge you with photos and descriptions of the toilets in their respective homes and offices.

Wow，mind blowing！

 

[Bangalorean]

Wow，mind blowing！

Glad you liked it. That makes two of you who have a toilet fetish - nimo and you.

Here is a bonus gift for you:

 

[libindi]

Glad you liked it. That makes two of you who have a toilet fetish - nimo and you.

Here is a bonus gift for you:

Piss while have a good view of the city，nice！

 

[Ray]

Having a toilet is the basic demonstration of having human right and freedom, in a civilized nation I may add.

Have you visited the rural areas of China?

Or should I educate you?

 

[Ray]

Unique use!

More than a mere toilet!

Very advance.

Caring for the impotent and the infertile and ever so civilised for those who cannot even do what normal humans can!

 

[Ray]

HYGIENE AND TOILETS IN CHINA AND THE LAST BATHHOUSE IN BEIJING

HYGIENE IN CHINA

The first known bristle toothbrushes were produced in China in 1498. Outdoor dentists can still be seen in Dali in Yunnan and other places. Deodorants are difficult to find in China.

Cleanliness is virtue. The streets may be beat up and litter can be found here and there but the insides of homes are spotless. Often times the only way poor families surrounded by filth can express their self worth is through their clean clothes, bodies and homes. Children usually wash themselves before school with rough soap and well water in a pail. Mothers spend a lot of time making sure that their house is tidy and clean. Floors are mopped on daily basis and walls are scrubbed weekly. The condition of a house is a reflection on the family and especially the mother.

Some women wash in their bathrooms; some was wash in the kitchens. Studies by L'Oreal have found that women like to wash using plastic basins filled with water to save water when they moisten or rinse their face. When washing some women rub, some tap, some use the "five point method," some use a sponge.

In March 2008, Xinhua reported that a Chinese bride burned here new husband to death after he got into bed after a drunken argument without washing his feet. Xinhua reported the couple "frequently fought over trivial things while still on their honeymoon" and "in frustration they together drank a bottle of liquor to ease their anger."

"At Around 11:00pm, Lio watched her husband get into bed without cleaning or washing his feet. In a fit of anger and intoxication, she set fire to the sheet he was sleeping in....When he awoke the two began fighting before a very drunk Wang collapsed. As fire engulfed the bedroom. Luo escaped to the living room, leaving her other half to burn,:


Ear Cleaning in China

Describing an ear cleaning session on the streets of Xian, Michael Finkel wrote in the New York Times: "Fiddling with her own hair, she isolated two individual strands. And then, as I watched, she plucked them both out, rubbed the hairs between her fingers for a few moments, and then inserted one hair into each ear...The hairs were pushed deep into my ears, slowly, until it felt as though they brushed against my eardrums."

"Whereupon the stylist began swirling them about. The sound within my head was discordantly peculiar, as tormenting as fingernails upon a chalkboard, and yet, at the same time arousing. It lasted perhaps 30 second, during which time I remained in the salon's chair, utterly still and completely confounded. Then, without explanation it was over, and I was handed the bill."

Sidewalk ankle massages are also available.




Pee and Turds in China

In a piece in The Guardian that struck some as being culturally insensitive, David Sedaris wrote: Another thing one notices in China is the turds. "Oh please," you're probably thinking. "Must you?" To this I answer, "Yes, I must", for if they didn't affect the food itself, they affected the way I thought about it. In Beijing, you see an overwhelming amount of shit. Some of it can be blamed on pets, but a lot of it comes from people. Chinese babies do without diapers, wearing instead these strange little pants with a slit in the rear. When a child has to go, its parents direct it towards the kerb or, if they're indoors, to a spot they think of as "kerby". "Last month I saw a kid shit in the produce aisle of our Chengdu Walmart," a young woman named Bridget told me. [Source: David Sedaris, The Guardian July 15, 2011]

There are the wild outdoor turds of China, and then there are the ones you see in the public bathrooms, most of which feature those squat-style toilets, holes, basically, level with the floor. And these bathrooms, my God. The sorriest American gas station cannot begin to match one of these things. In the men's room of a Beijing subway station, I watched a man walk past the urinal, lift his three-year-old son into the air and instruct him to pee into the sink—the one we were supposed to wash our hands in.

My trip reminded me that we are all just animals, that stuff comes out of every hole we have, no matter where we live or how much money we've got. On some level we all know this and manage, quite pleasantly, to shove it towards the back of our minds. In China, it's brought to the front, and nailed there. The supermarket cashier holds out your change and you take it thinking, "This woman squats and spits on the floor while shitting and blowing snot out of her nose." You think it of the cab driver, of the ticket taker and, finally, of the people who are cooking and serving your dinner."


Toilets in China

China claims to be the home of the first flush toilet. An ancient latrine was discovered on a Western Han Dynasty (200 B.C. to A.D. 24) tomb. The Chinese invented toilet paper in the 14th century. See Firsts, History

The World Health Organization estimates that tens of millions of Chinese have no access to toilets and defecate in the open. A 2010 report estimated that 45 percent of Chinese lacked access to improved sanitation facilities that protect users from contact with excrement, contributing to the risk of disease. [Source: Sharon LaFraniere, New York Times, February 29, 2012]

According to a United Nations report, half the world's people don't have access to a toilet or a clean latrine. People often relieve themselves in the bushes or in a field. Only 30 percent of the world uses toilet paper. Alternatives include hands, water, sand, small rocks, mud, leaves, rope and seaweed.

But China's sanitation has improved drastically in the past 20 years and continues to get better. Riding a historic property boom, Chinese are now buying nearly 19 million toilets a year, about twice the number sold in the United States, according to industry estimates. Last November, China hosted the World Toilet Organization's 11th World Toilet Summit and Expo on Hainan Island. The Chinese authorities there said that the island, a tourist spot, was in the midst of a "toilet revolution." [Source: LaFraniere, Op Cit]

A typical rural bathroom is a shed-like outhouse in back of the house with cinder blocks walls and a metal door and roof. The toilet more often than not it is a latrine or a hole in the ground surrounded by concrete. People squat instead of sit. If there is a flushing system it is more often than not a ladle and a bucket of water. Most guesthouses and hotels used by foreigners have Western style toilets.

Substandard plumbing and overloaded city sewers are problems in many places. Blockages are common, plumbing work can be shoddy, and pipes often are placed too close to floorboards. A well-known joke in China goes like this: If you need a bathroom, just follow your nose. Places with sewers often have no waste-water treatment facilities and sewage is dumped directly into water supplies from which people draw their water.

Many Asians consider squat-style Asian toilets to be more hygienic than Western toilets because no part of the body touches them. Studies have shown that people who use Asian-style squat toilets are less likely to get hemorrhoids than people who use Western-style toilets. David Pierson wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "Squat toilet habits are hard to break in China, particularly among the older generation. Women's public restrooms commonly include signs asking visitors not to stand on the seats. The telltale sign it's too late? A set of footprints."


Public Toilets in China

Millions of people in China don't have a toilet in their own home. Instead they use chamber pots which are taken to collection centers. Most public toilets have squat-style Asian toilets. Many rural Chinese are unfamiliar with Western toilets. It is not unusual to see footprints on the seat of a Western toilet from where somebody has stood and squatted.

As a rule public rest rooms don't have toilet paper (for this reason always carry tissue with you). Toilet paper, or often newspapers, are supposed to be placed in a the wastebasket and not flushed so the plumbing system does get clogged. Many rest rooms are coed, with urinals in the front for men and separate toilets stalls behind closed doors for men and women.

Some public toilets are watched over by married couples, with the husband cleaning the men's room and the wife cleaning the women's room. Some have young children that also spend much of their time in the public toilet.


Dirty Public Toilets in China

The public toilets in China are regarded as among the world's worst. They are often dirty, smelly and disgusting and many non-Chinese find them "unusable." Some are out in open and people have to squat in full view of everyone; others have pigs eating the shit underneath them. Chinese writers complained about dirty toilets as far back as the 11th century B.C. and a popular saying these days is "finding a toilet is as hard as going to heaven."

Beijing especially is infamous for its disgusting public toilets. About a fifth of the complaints received the Beijing Consumer's Association are related to Beijing's public toilets. The ones in the hutongs have traditionally been used by entire neighborhoods and communities and stink to high heaven. eijing have offered large sums of money for better public toilet designs. Some hotels have signs in bathrooms that read: "Guest may not perform urination in sink basin."

Shanghai, a city with 13 million people, has only 1,104 public toilets and Beijing, with 10 million people, has 6,800. In 1993, 70 percent of the population of Beijing used public toilets, today about 20 percent use them. Most of the waste from urban toilets ends up in tanks that are emptied by vans or men with wheelbarrows and ultimately sent to the countryside to be used as night soil (See Agriculture).

After the Communist closed down tea houses and cafes as being decadent, public toilets often served as meeting places in Beijing. It became common for people to socialize seated on toilets with no doors or partitions. The practice went along with Communist teachings for people to eschew secrets and share everything (See Society, Privacy). At some public toilets, Chinese pretend to squat and refuse to move unless they are given money.


Improving Toilets in China

After China lost its bid to host the Olympics in 2000, the country went through a phase of soul searching to determine how to improve China and improving toilets was at the top of the list. Part of Beijing's effort to win the 2008 Olympics included renovating 452 public toilets in 305 tourist sites and ranking them from zero to four stars. When the program was launched the China Daily ran the headline: "Capital Flushes Out Low Standard Loos."

The toilets were ranked on the basis of 58 qualifications. Those that received four stars were clean and well lit as you might expect but also boasted things like granite floors, cheerful music and automatic flushing toilets. The one outside the Peking Man complex was given high marks. It featured blow dryers that users could use to blow the dust off their skin after visiting the site. The one outside a popular section of the Great Wall was designed by a famous Taiwanese architect. One in Hangzhou featured bamboo walls and wooden seats and was dubbed "Oneness of Being."

Some advanced toilets have climate control and television sets and have been designed to look like space ships. Some new ones have infra-red-activated flushing toilets and signs in Chinese, English and braille that list rules like "Each user is entitled to one free piece of common toilet paper (length centimeters, width 10 centimeters).

As of 2005, the Beijing government had spent $29 million fixing up 14,500 toilets. Many hutong residents used to using communal toilet thought the whole thing was a big waste of money. Other have established clubs associated with them. Beijing wasn't the only city bent on improving it toilets. The city of Chongqing experimented with outdoor toilets for males that have walls equipped with a waist-level screens that hide the vital parts of user.

In 2004, Beijing hosted the World Toilet Summit. It attracted 150 academics, sanitation experts, toilet designers and environmentalists from 19 countries, including Finland, Germany, Japan, Nepal and the United States. It also used the event as an opportunity to showcase its new toilets.


Shortage of Women's Toilets in China

Sharon LaFraniere wrote in the New York Times, "Wang Jianyi, 26, was in a huge hurry. She had been riding the bus for three hours. At each rest stop, the line outside the women's toilet was too long for her to use the restroom. So as soon as she arrived at a major inter-city bus terminal in Beijing on Monday morning, she made a beeline for the nearest public restroom. Only to encounter yet another line. "I have been holding my pee for an hour," she said in frustration as she waited for a women's stall while a few feet away, men sauntered in and out without delay. "I think there should definitely be more stalls for women, because women take longer."[Source: Sharon LaFraniere, New York Times, February 29, 2012]

At least twice as long, studies suggest. Despite that, national standards for public street toilets in urban China recommend a one-to-one ratio of men's stalls, including urinals, to women's stalls. Since sanitation workers — almost uniformly women — routinely take over at least one women's stall for their cleaning supplies, women typically end up with even less opportunity to relieve themselves.

China's 1:1 ratio for men's to women's street toilets, spelled out in national standards in 2005, is less favorable to women than either Taiwan's or Hong Kong's. Taiwan recommends a 1:3 ratio for public toilets, while Hong Kong recommends a ratio of 2:3. China adopts Hong Kong's ratio only in certain public structures like shopping malls, presumably in recognition of the fact that women are bigger shoppers.

It is not, some would argue, the most compelling public issue that confronts China at the moment. But it is nonetheless one that Li Tingting, 22, a public management student in Shanxi Province, wants China to address. And that has thrust her into the strange, unpredictable world of Chinese citizen activists, who press for change within narrow, shadowy boundaries, never knowing if government authorities will brook them or slap them down.


Occupy Men's Toilets Movement in China

Sharon LaFraniere wrote in the New York Times, "Ms. Li's tactics are rather avant-garde for China: A little more than a week ago, in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, she and half a dozen other activists commandeered the men's stalls at a busy public restroom near a park. For three-minute intervals, they warded off the men and invited the women to shorten their waits by using the vacated men's stalls. Then they waved the men back in for 10 minutes. [Source: Sharon LaFraniere, New York Times, February 29, 2012]

The operation, dubbed "Occupy Men's Toilets," ended after an hour with, according to Ms. Li, greater public awareness and no trouble. The local government noted a few days later that since last March, the ratio of men's stalls to women's in all new or renovated public restrooms in Guangzhou had been set at 1:1.5. Xinhua, China's official news agency, reported that the city responded promptly to the activists' demands.

But that is Guangzhou, long considered a comparatively liberal city. Here in ultra-security-conscious Beijing, street antics are not taken so lightly. When Ms. Li and a few other activists tried to occupy the men's toilets one Sunday morning at the public restroom in Beijing near the Deshengmen long-distance bus terminal, they were greeted by 10 officers and three police vehicles. The officers told Ms. Li that without a permit, she and her fellow activists must leave, taking their colorful poster and pink leaflets with them.

The little troupe headed to another restroom, only to be greeted by more police officers, who videotaped Ms. Li as she talked to reporters about why women need more toilets. Once the reporters departed, Ms. Li said, the police forced her and a friend to spend the next five hours sitting in a nearby restaurant, lest they dare try to occupy another bathroom. Chinese officials want to appear to be benign authorities who are in touch with the needs and wants of the grass roots, not overseers of police squads who detain harmless university students seeking better bathrooms. So that is how the English-language version of the state-run China Daily presented the event.

"Toilet occupation group is flushed with success," read Monday's front-page headline. "Women demanding more public facilities make their voice heard." No mention was made of the firm-handed police intervention. The story made it appear as if all went off without a hitch. Guo Jianmei, director of the Women's Legal Consultancy Center in Beijing, said the street performances of Ms. Li and her friends had highlighted the problem of potty parity, as it is sometimes known, and forced officials to unearth oft-disregarded regulations. She said she hoped China's national legislators took heed.


Chinese Snapping Up High-Tech Toilets

David Pierson wrote in the Los Angeles Times: " Like Goldilocks searching for the perfect perch, Dong Yu tested one seat after another in the glitzy showroom. Some were too pricey, others too fussy. Then he found one that was just right. "You've got to try this," he shouted to his wife, to the delight of a fawning saleswoman. "This one's really comfortable." The seat in question was a $400 toilet made by Japan-based Toto Ltd. Dong and his wife had just bought a 2,200-square-foot apartment in a tony section of China's capital and were prepared to splurge on a pair of eye-catching commodes. This model, with its slim tank and ultra-quiet flush, was exactly what the couple were looking for.[Source: David Pierson, Los Angeles Times October 21, 2010]

"China's housing boom has unleashed a bull market in fancy plumbing, a surge that underscores the desire of millions of Chinese to enjoy a better standard of living," Pierson wrote. "No longer content with low-tech latrines, upwardly mobile Chinese are snapping up cutting-edge toilets loaded with high-efficiency flushing systems, heated seats and built-in bidets. "Today, Chinese people like to focus on the kitchen and the bathroom in their new apartments," Dong, 37, told the Los Angeles Times. "It's a big difference from when I was a kid. We had to share public bathrooms, which only had squat toilets." [Ibid]

"Although many are satisfied with Western-style toilets that often cost no more than $20 here, pricier name brands are gaining traction. Models costing anywhere from $150 to $6,000 now account for about 5 per cent of the toilets sold in China each year, according to Toto officials. The Japanese company has been riding robust growth here, peddling commodes with sleek designs and features such as oscillating bidets, air fresheners and blow dryers." [Ibid]

"As far as toilets go, we think this is top of the line," Banse Katsuya, project sales manager for Toto China, told the Los Angeles Times, standing proudly over a $5,900 Neorest series bowl in the company's flagship store in Beijing. Outfitted with buttons labeled "rear cleansing" and "front cleansing" (and it's not referring to the bowl), the Space Age device features a heated seat and a water-saving, but powerful, hands-free sensor flush. The technology is nothing new in Japan, where units with built-in bidets, known as washlets, are commonplace even in public restrooms. But in China, the nouveaux riches have only recently begun to accept bells and whistles with their thrones. [Ibid]

Zhang Li, a 36-year-old real estate agent who grew up in one of Beijing's old courtyard neighborhoods where the odor of the public bathrooms was never far away, the told the Los Angeles Times has no regrets about stocking her luxury apartment with the latest and fanciest toilets. "I think we've earned the right to have clean, nice bathrooms," she said.

The surge for high-tech toilets has been a bonanza for plumbing manufacturers, which are vying for a piece of the world's largest loo market. Nearly 19 million toilets are sold in China annually, about double the number sold in the U.S., said Victor Post, vice president of BRG Consult, a global building products consultancy. "China is the most competitive market in the world," said Larry Yuen, president of Kohler Asia, which has 11 factories in China. "There are brands from Japan, Europe and America all fighting for market share." [Source: David Pierson, Los Angeles Times October 21, 2010]

"Our goal is to make these kinds of functionalities basic for everyone," Takahiro Yanagihara, director of Toto China told the Los Angeles Times. Toto operates nine factories in the country and whose sales have risen 10 per cent every year for the past decade. "We believe demand will continue to grow as urbanization continues to grow. People have more money to spend, and they want to be comfortable." [Ibid]

Toto has increased its Chinese marketing budget in recent years, Yanagihara said. It appears to be working. He said the company's washlet sales in China have tripled since 2004. In one television spot broadcast here, an actress touts the product by saying, "It's just like a spa." Then, using computer-generated animation that's short on subtlety, the commercial demonstrates how the bidet function works. [Ibid]

American Standard, whose operations in Asia are owned by a Japanese conglomerate, is also trying to educate Chinese consumers. In a multistory bathroom supply store in Beijing, company saleswoman Zhang Min showed off a $3,800 Eurozen model, which had pride of place on a glass pedestal. Her frank pitch focused on human plumbing. "We're targeting the younger generation. They're more aware of hygiene," Zhang said. "Though I keep telling older people that the bidet helps with constipation." [Ibid]

Across town, rival Kohler Co. of Wisconsin displays its elegantly designed bowls in a recently renovated showroom. One had a decorative gold band across its tank, another didn't have a tank at all. Opening the lid required just a nudge with a fingertip; a mechanism did the rest. Price tag: $5,000. Yuen, theAsia president of the company said the manufacturer is benefiting from younger Chinese unafraid to show off their wealth. He said consumers here have a special affinity for the bathroom. "It's the only place in your home you can have privacy," he said. "A lot of people still live with their grandparents and parents." [Ibid]

To better suit the Chinese market, some Kohler toilets are made a few inches shorter than in the U.S. And in a nation where nearly 1 in 4 residents smoke, Kohler salespeople in China often brag that their flushing system is powerful enough to suck down all the remnants of an emptied ashtray. "We've done this demonstration over and over," said Eric Sun, a company official. biggest challenge is installation," Yuen said. "It's why we're promoting and working with certified Kohler plumbers. There's just a lot of ignorance and second-rate piping out there."

Chinese Bathhouses

Bathhouses used to be fixtures of Beijing and other Chinese cities. They hark back to a time long past when homes here lacked plumbing and all bathing was communal. They also served as social gathering points where men flocked to sweat, talk politics and relax. [Source: Benjamin Haas, Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2011]

Benjamin Haas wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "Chinese courtyard houses traditionally didn't have plumbing, so public bathhouses and toilets dotted the city. In 1935, Beijing alone had 123 traditional bathhouses. Families would make special trips during three major traditional Chinese holidays: the Spring and Dragon Boat festivals and Tomb Sweeping Day.

Traditional Chinese bathhouses date back to the 17th century, when specialized bricks were imported from Europe. Almost all were for males only. Bathhouses were a destination for people from all walks of life, who would mingle without being subject to the rigid hierarchies of the outside world. "There wasn't a separation between common people and nobility," said Zhao Shu, a retired member of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Program. "Once you take your clothes off, everyone is the same."

In recent years, one by one, the traditional bathhouses have been replaced by modern spas in upscale hotels that help define today's Beijing. The new ones cost 180 yuan ($27) and up, compared with the eight-yuan entrance fee of the old bathhouses.


Chinese Bathhouse Users and Culture

Zhang Shan, a 67-year-old factory worker, is a typical bathhouse user. Haas wrote he has simplified his daily schedule to the bare essentials: Wake up, eat breakfast, walk to his local bathhouse and undress. Zhang, 67, used to commute more than an hour by bus to fulfill his daily ritual, but two years ago he moved within walking distance. [Source: Benjamin Haas, Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2011]

Zhang lives alone in a small room. His bathroom has a toilet and a sink, but no shower. "If I'm at home, I'm not happy, I'm lonely," Zhang explained, sitting with only a white towel around his waist. "But then I come here and talk to friends, read the newspaper or play chess." "I've been to Bali to see what a Western spa is like," said Xiong, who often washes in his own bathhouse. "They don't use natural light, there's no socializing and there are too many creams and soaps. It's so artificial."

Beijingers, young and old, spend hours wrapped in white towels playing chess or singing patriotic songs. Socializing clearly takes precedence over scrubbing; less than one-third of the 1,800-square-foot bathhouse is devoted to baths and showers. Upon entering, patrons are greeted by two rows of narrow wooden beds where they can nap, eat or converse. When they do go for a dip, they gather in groups and bob around the bath.

One of Zhang's closest bathhouse friends, Dou Liya, 54, an eccentric poet who recites verses to anyone who will listen, first started visiting Shuangxing on doctor's orders after suffering a stroke. Now he frequents the bathhouse for the companionship, not for his health."If Zhang Shan wasn't here, I would stop coming," Dou said before launching into another poem.

On a recent Sunday, retirees discussed the Western-led airstrikes on Libya and debated whether other countries had their own Tomb Sweeping Day, during which Chinese visit their ancestors' graves.


End of Beijing's Bathhouses

Shuangxing Bathhouse, built in 1916, is the last known bathhouse in Beijing. Located in the southern outskirts of the city, it seem destined to be torn down by local authorities intent on the redeveloping the area where it stands. [Source: Benjamin Haas, Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2011]

Shuangxing Bathhouse is on the first floor of an unassuming hotel. Countless renovations over 95 years have left the entryway with a hodgepodge of architectural styles varying from Greek columns and gilded molding to round Chinese archways and carved calligraphy signs. But the bathhouse itself has seemingly stayed untouched, and owner Xiong Zhizhong is adamant about keeping the interior as close to the original as possible.

In 1999, the interior of the bathhouse served as the location for an acclaimed feature film, "Shower." The plot follows an elderly owner in failing health as his fictional bathhouse faces imminent destruction by the authorities, with an eye to redevelopment. Now that the plot could become reality, Beijingers savor what could be close to their last soak here. Zhang waxed philosophical about the need to protect Shuangxing Bathhouse. "We came from water. Without it, there would be no life," he said.

Since the economic liberalization of the 1980s, more than two-thirds of Beijing's traditional alleyways, or hutongs—where bathhouse culture was most alive— have been destroyed to make way for apartment blocks.Local government "officials only think about what the top officials want them to focus on, and that means new things and Western styles," said He Shuzhong, founder of the nongovernmental Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center. "They believe old buildings and the idea of the new Beijing, as a world city, are incompatible."

In 2006, Xiong applied for protected status for his building with the Ministry of Culture. Five years later, he hasn't heard back. In a last-ditch effort to save the site, Xiong hired experts to measure and photograph every inch of the space. He plans to move the entire building nearby.

Zhao, the retired culture official, used to sit on the committee that grants historical protected status. If his thinking is in line with that of current members, Shuangxing Bathhouse's days could be numbered. "We have to move forward," he said. "Our life in Beijing has already changed so much." But the same crush of development that has swept Chinese people into modern apartment blocks has also meant that bathhouses have become obsolete.

Image Sources: Julie Chao Julie Chao > Photos > China except toilet paper delivery, Perrechon, and poster, Landsberger Posters Page Not Found | IISH : Toto Japan; Asia Obscura AsiaObscura | Weird and Awesome Across the East ;

Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton's Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.\

HYGIENE AND TOILETS IN CHINA AND THE LAST BATHHOUSE IN BEIJING - China | Facts and Details

**********************

That much for the false propaganda being purveyed as 'real' China!

 

[Ray]

HYGIENE AND TOILETS IN CHINA AND THE LAST BATHHOUSE IN BEIJING

HYGIENE IN CHINA

The first known bristle toothbrushes were produced in China in 1498. Outdoor dentists can still be seen in Dali in Yunnan and other places. Deodorants are difficult to find in China.

Cleanliness is virtue. The streets may be beat up and litter can be found here and there but the insides of homes are spotless. Often times the only way poor families surrounded by filth can express their self worth is through their clean clothes, bodies and homes. Children usually wash themselves before school with rough soap and well water in a pail. Mothers spend a lot of time making sure that their house is tidy and clean. Floors are mopped on daily basis and walls are scrubbed weekly. The condition of a house is a reflection on the family and especially the mother.

Some women wash in their bathrooms; some was wash in the kitchens. Studies by L'Oreal have found that women like to wash using plastic basins filled with water to save water when they moisten or rinse their face. When washing some women rub, some tap, some use the "five point method," some use a sponge.

In March 2008, Xinhua reported that a Chinese bride burned here new husband to death after he got into bed after a drunken argument without washing his feet. Xinhua reported the couple "frequently fought over trivial things while still on their honeymoon" and "in frustration they together drank a bottle of liquor to ease their anger."

"At Around 11:00pm, Lio watched her husband get into bed without cleaning or washing his feet. In a fit of anger and intoxication, she set fire to the sheet he was sleeping in....When he awoke the two began fighting before a very drunk Wang collapsed. As fire engulfed the bedroom. Luo escaped to the living room, leaving her other half to burn,:


Ear Cleaning in China

Describing an ear cleaning session on the streets of Xian, Michael Finkel wrote in the New York Times: "Fiddling with her own hair, she isolated two individual strands. And then, as I watched, she plucked them both out, rubbed the hairs between her fingers for a few moments, and then inserted one hair into each ear...The hairs were pushed deep into my ears, slowly, until it felt as though they brushed against my eardrums."

"Whereupon the stylist began swirling them about. The sound within my head was discordantly peculiar, as tormenting as fingernails upon a chalkboard, and yet, at the same time arousing. It lasted perhaps 30 second, during which time I remained in the salon's chair, utterly still and completely confounded. Then, without explanation it was over, and I was handed the bill."

Sidewalk ankle massages are also available.




Pee and Turds in China

In a piece in The Guardian that struck some as being culturally insensitive, David Sedaris wrote: Another thing one notices in China is the turds. "Oh please," you're probably thinking. "Must you?" To this I answer, "Yes, I must", for if they didn't affect the food itself, they affected the way I thought about it. In Beijing, you see an overwhelming amount of shit. Some of it can be blamed on pets, but a lot of it comes from people. Chinese babies do without diapers, wearing instead these strange little pants with a slit in the rear. When a child has to go, its parents direct it towards the kerb or, if they're indoors, to a spot they think of as "kerby". "Last month I saw a kid shit in the produce aisle of our Chengdu Walmart," a young woman named Bridget told me. [Source: David Sedaris, The Guardian July 15, 2011]

There are the wild outdoor turds of China, and then there are the ones you see in the public bathrooms, most of which feature those squat-style toilets, holes, basically, level with the floor. And these bathrooms, my God. The sorriest American gas station cannot begin to match one of these things. In the men's room of a Beijing subway station, I watched a man walk past the urinal, lift his three-year-old son into the air and instruct him to pee into the sink—the one we were supposed to wash our hands in.

My trip reminded me that we are all just animals, that stuff comes out of every hole we have, no matter where we live or how much money we've got. On some level we all know this and manage, quite pleasantly, to shove it towards the back of our minds. In China, it's brought to the front, and nailed there. The supermarket cashier holds out your change and you take it thinking, "This woman squats and spits on the floor while shitting and blowing snot out of her nose." You think it of the cab driver, of the ticket taker and, finally, of the people who are cooking and serving your dinner."


Toilets in China

China claims to be the home of the first flush toilet. An ancient latrine was discovered on a Western Han Dynasty (200 B.C. to A.D. 24) tomb. The Chinese invented toilet paper in the 14th century. See Firsts, History

The World Health Organization estimates that tens of millions of Chinese have no access to toilets and defecate in the open. A 2010 report estimated that 45 percent of Chinese lacked access to improved sanitation facilities that protect users from contact with excrement, contributing to the risk of disease. [Source: Sharon LaFraniere, New York Times, February 29, 2012]

According to a United Nations report, half the world's people don't have access to a toilet or a clean latrine. People often relieve themselves in the bushes or in a field. Only 30 percent of the world uses toilet paper. Alternatives include hands, water, sand, small rocks, mud, leaves, rope and seaweed.

But China's sanitation has improved drastically in the past 20 years and continues to get better. Riding a historic property boom, Chinese are now buying nearly 19 million toilets a year, about twice the number sold in the United States, according to industry estimates. Last November, China hosted the World Toilet Organization's 11th World Toilet Summit and Expo on Hainan Island. The Chinese authorities there said that the island, a tourist spot, was in the midst of a "toilet revolution." [Source: LaFraniere, Op Cit]

A typical rural bathroom is a shed-like outhouse in back of the house with cinder blocks walls and a metal door and roof. The toilet more often than not it is a latrine or a hole in the ground surrounded by concrete. People squat instead of sit. If there is a flushing system it is more often than not a ladle and a bucket of water. Most guesthouses and hotels used by foreigners have Western style toilets.

Substandard plumbing and overloaded city sewers are problems in many places. Blockages are common, plumbing work can be shoddy, and pipes often are placed too close to floorboards. A well-known joke in China goes like this: If you need a bathroom, just follow your nose. Places with sewers often have no waste-water treatment facilities and sewage is dumped directly into water supplies from which people draw their water.

Many Asians consider squat-style Asian toilets to be more hygienic than Western toilets because no part of the body touches them. Studies have shown that people who use Asian-style squat toilets are less likely to get hemorrhoids than people who use Western-style toilets. David Pierson wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "Squat toilet habits are hard to break in China, particularly among the older generation. Women's public restrooms commonly include signs asking visitors not to stand on the seats. The telltale sign it's too late? A set of footprints."


Public Toilets in China

Millions of people in China don't have a toilet in their own home. Instead they use chamber pots which are taken to collection centers. Most public toilets have squat-style Asian toilets. Many rural Chinese are unfamiliar with Western toilets. It is not unusual to see footprints on the seat of a Western toilet from where somebody has stood and squatted.

As a rule public rest rooms don't have toilet paper (for this reason always carry tissue with you). Toilet paper, or often newspapers, are supposed to be placed in a the wastebasket and not flushed so the plumbing system does get clogged. Many rest rooms are coed, with urinals in the front for men and separate toilets stalls behind closed doors for men and women.

Some public toilets are watched over by married couples, with the husband cleaning the men's room and the wife cleaning the women's room. Some have young children that also spend much of their time in the public toilet.


Dirty Public Toilets in China

The public toilets in China are regarded as among the world's worst. They are often dirty, smelly and disgusting and many non-Chinese find them "unusable." Some are out in open and people have to squat in full view of everyone; others have pigs eating the shit underneath them. Chinese writers complained about dirty toilets as far back as the 11th century B.C. and a popular saying these days is "finding a toilet is as hard as going to heaven."

Beijing especially is infamous for its disgusting public toilets. About a fifth of the complaints received the Beijing Consumer's Association are related to Beijing's public toilets. The ones in the hutongs have traditionally been used by entire neighborhoods and communities and stink to high heaven. eijing have offered large sums of money for better public toilet designs. Some hotels have signs in bathrooms that read: "Guest may not perform urination in sink basin."

Shanghai, a city with 13 million people, has only 1,104 public toilets and Beijing, with 10 million people, has 6,800. In 1993, 70 percent of the population of Beijing used public toilets, today about 20 percent use them. Most of the waste from urban toilets ends up in tanks that are emptied by vans or men with wheelbarrows and ultimately sent to the countryside to be used as night soil (See Agriculture).

After the Communist closed down tea houses and cafes as being decadent, public toilets often served as meeting places in Beijing. It became common for people to socialize seated on toilets with no doors or partitions. The practice went along with Communist teachings for people to eschew secrets and share everything (See Society, Privacy). At some public toilets, Chinese pretend to squat and refuse to move unless they are given money.


Improving Toilets in China

After China lost its bid to host the Olympics in 2000, the country went through a phase of soul searching to determine how to improve China and improving toilets was at the top of the list. Part of Beijing's effort to win the 2008 Olympics included renovating 452 public toilets in 305 tourist sites and ranking them from zero to four stars. When the program was launched the China Daily ran the headline: "Capital Flushes Out Low Standard Loos."

The toilets were ranked on the basis of 58 qualifications. Those that received four stars were clean and well lit as you might expect but also boasted things like granite floors, cheerful music and automatic flushing toilets. The one outside the Peking Man complex was given high marks. It featured blow dryers that users could use to blow the dust off their skin after visiting the site. The one outside a popular section of the Great Wall was designed by a famous Taiwanese architect. One in Hangzhou featured bamboo walls and wooden seats and was dubbed "Oneness of Being."

Some advanced toilets have climate control and television sets and have been designed to look like space ships. Some new ones have infra-red-activated flushing toilets and signs in Chinese, English and braille that list rules like "Each user is entitled to one free piece of common toilet paper (length centimeters, width 10 centimeters).

As of 2005, the Beijing government had spent $29 million fixing up 14,500 toilets. Many hutong residents used to using communal toilet thought the whole thing was a big waste of money. Other have established clubs associated with them. Beijing wasn't the only city bent on improving it toilets. The city of Chongqing experimented with outdoor toilets for males that have walls equipped with a waist-level screens that hide the vital parts of user.

In 2004, Beijing hosted the World Toilet Summit. It attracted 150 academics, sanitation experts, toilet designers and environmentalists from 19 countries, including Finland, Germany, Japan, Nepal and the United States. It also used the event as an opportunity to showcase its new toilets.


Shortage of Women's Toilets in China

Sharon LaFraniere wrote in the New York Times, "Wang Jianyi, 26, was in a huge hurry. She had been riding the bus for three hours. At each rest stop, the line outside the women's toilet was too long for her to use the restroom. So as soon as she arrived at a major inter-city bus terminal in Beijing on Monday morning, she made a beeline for the nearest public restroom. Only to encounter yet another line. "I have been holding my pee for an hour," she said in frustration as she waited for a women's stall while a few feet away, men sauntered in and out without delay. "I think there should definitely be more stalls for women, because women take longer."[Source: Sharon LaFraniere, New York Times, February 29, 2012]

At least twice as long, studies suggest. Despite that, national standards for public street toilets in urban China recommend a one-to-one ratio of men's stalls, including urinals, to women's stalls. Since sanitation workers — almost uniformly women — routinely take over at least one women's stall for their cleaning supplies, women typically end up with even less opportunity to relieve themselves.

China's 1:1 ratio for men's to women's street toilets, spelled out in national standards in 2005, is less favorable to women than either Taiwan's or Hong Kong's. Taiwan recommends a 1:3 ratio for public toilets, while Hong Kong recommends a ratio of 2:3. China adopts Hong Kong's ratio only in certain public structures like shopping malls, presumably in recognition of the fact that women are bigger shoppers.

It is not, some would argue, the most compelling public issue that confronts China at the moment. But it is nonetheless one that Li Tingting, 22, a public management student in Shanxi Province, wants China to address. And that has thrust her into the strange, unpredictable world of Chinese citizen activists, who press for change within narrow, shadowy boundaries, never knowing if government authorities will brook them or slap them down.


Occupy Men's Toilets Movement in China

Sharon LaFraniere wrote in the New York Times, "Ms. Li's tactics are rather avant-garde for China: A little more than a week ago, in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, she and half a dozen other activists commandeered the men's stalls at a busy public restroom near a park. For three-minute intervals, they warded off the men and invited the women to shorten their waits by using the vacated men's stalls. Then they waved the men back in for 10 minutes. [Source: Sharon LaFraniere, New York Times, February 29, 2012]

The operation, dubbed "Occupy Men's Toilets," ended after an hour with, according to Ms. Li, greater public awareness and no trouble. The local government noted a few days later that since last March, the ratio of men's stalls to women's in all new or renovated public restrooms in Guangzhou had been set at 1:1.5. Xinhua, China's official news agency, reported that the city responded promptly to the activists' demands.

But that is Guangzhou, long considered a comparatively liberal city. Here in ultra-security-conscious Beijing, street antics are not taken so lightly. When Ms. Li and a few other activists tried to occupy the men's toilets one Sunday morning at the public restroom in Beijing near the Deshengmen long-distance bus terminal, they were greeted by 10 officers and three police vehicles. The officers told Ms. Li that without a permit, she and her fellow activists must leave, taking their colorful poster and pink leaflets with them.

The little troupe headed to another restroom, only to be greeted by more police officers, who videotaped Ms. Li as she talked to reporters about why women need more toilets. Once the reporters departed, Ms. Li said, the police forced her and a friend to spend the next five hours sitting in a nearby restaurant, lest they dare try to occupy another bathroom. Chinese officials want to appear to be benign authorities who are in touch with the needs and wants of the grass roots, not overseers of police squads who detain harmless university students seeking better bathrooms. So that is how the English-language version of the state-run China Daily presented the event.

"Toilet occupation group is flushed with success," read Monday's front-page headline. "Women demanding more public facilities make their voice heard." No mention was made of the firm-handed police intervention. The story made it appear as if all went off without a hitch. Guo Jianmei, director of the Women's Legal Consultancy Center in Beijing, said the street performances of Ms. Li and her friends had highlighted the problem of potty parity, as it is sometimes known, and forced officials to unearth oft-disregarded regulations. She said she hoped China's national legislators took heed.


Chinese Snapping Up High-Tech Toilets

David Pierson wrote in the Los Angeles Times: " Like Goldilocks searching for the perfect perch, Dong Yu tested one seat after another in the glitzy showroom. Some were too pricey, others too fussy. Then he found one that was just right. "You've got to try this," he shouted to his wife, to the delight of a fawning saleswoman. "This one's really comfortable." The seat in question was a $400 toilet made by Japan-based Toto Ltd. Dong and his wife had just bought a 2,200-square-foot apartment in a tony section of China's capital and were prepared to splurge on a pair of eye-catching commodes. This model, with its slim tank and ultra-quiet flush, was exactly what the couple were looking for.[Source: David Pierson, Los Angeles Times October 21, 2010]

"China's housing boom has unleashed a bull market in fancy plumbing, a surge that underscores the desire of millions of Chinese to enjoy a better standard of living," Pierson wrote. "No longer content with low-tech latrines, upwardly mobile Chinese are snapping up cutting-edge toilets loaded with high-efficiency flushing systems, heated seats and built-in bidets. "Today, Chinese people like to focus on the kitchen and the bathroom in their new apartments," Dong, 37, told the Los Angeles Times. "It's a big difference from when I was a kid. We had to share public bathrooms, which only had squat toilets." [Ibid]

"Although many are satisfied with Western-style toilets that often cost no more than $20 here, pricier name brands are gaining traction. Models costing anywhere from $150 to $6,000 now account for about 5 per cent of the toilets sold in China each year, according to Toto officials. The Japanese company has been riding robust growth here, peddling commodes with sleek designs and features such as oscillating bidets, air fresheners and blow dryers." [Ibid]

"As far as toilets go, we think this is top of the line," Banse Katsuya, project sales manager for Toto China, told the Los Angeles Times, standing proudly over a $5,900 Neorest series bowl in the company's flagship store in Beijing. Outfitted with buttons labeled "rear cleansing" and "front cleansing" (and it's not referring to the bowl), the Space Age device features a heated seat and a water-saving, but powerful, hands-free sensor flush. The technology is nothing new in Japan, where units with built-in bidets, known as washlets, are commonplace even in public restrooms. But in China, the nouveaux riches have only recently begun to accept bells and whistles with their thrones. [Ibid]

Zhang Li, a 36-year-old real estate agent who grew up in one of Beijing's old courtyard neighborhoods where the odor of the public bathrooms was never far away, the told the Los Angeles Times has no regrets about stocking her luxury apartment with the latest and fanciest toilets. "I think we've earned the right to have clean, nice bathrooms," she said.

The surge for high-tech toilets has been a bonanza for plumbing manufacturers, which are vying for a piece of the world's largest loo market. Nearly 19 million toilets are sold in China annually, about double the number sold in the U.S., said Victor Post, vice president of BRG Consult, a global building products consultancy. "China is the most competitive market in the world," said Larry Yuen, president of Kohler Asia, which has 11 factories in China. "There are brands from Japan, Europe and America all fighting for market share." [Source: David Pierson, Los Angeles Times October 21, 2010]

"Our goal is to make these kinds of functionalities basic for everyone," Takahiro Yanagihara, director of Toto China told the Los Angeles Times. Toto operates nine factories in the country and whose sales have risen 10 per cent every year for the past decade. "We believe demand will continue to grow as urbanization continues to grow. People have more money to spend, and they want to be comfortable." [Ibid]

Toto has increased its Chinese marketing budget in recent years, Yanagihara said. It appears to be working. He said the company's washlet sales in China have tripled since 2004. In one television spot broadcast here, an actress touts the product by saying, "It's just like a spa." Then, using computer-generated animation that's short on subtlety, the commercial demonstrates how the bidet function works. [Ibid]

American Standard, whose operations in Asia are owned by a Japanese conglomerate, is also trying to educate Chinese consumers. In a multistory bathroom supply store in Beijing, company saleswoman Zhang Min showed off a $3,800 Eurozen model, which had pride of place on a glass pedestal. Her frank pitch focused on human plumbing. "We're targeting the younger generation. They're more aware of hygiene," Zhang said. "Though I keep telling older people that the bidet helps with constipation." [Ibid]

Across town, rival Kohler Co. of Wisconsin displays its elegantly designed bowls in a recently renovated showroom. One had a decorative gold band across its tank, another didn't have a tank at all. Opening the lid required just a nudge with a fingertip; a mechanism did the rest. Price tag: $5,000. Yuen, theAsia president of the company said the manufacturer is benefiting from younger Chinese unafraid to show off their wealth. He said consumers here have a special affinity for the bathroom. "It's the only place in your home you can have privacy," he said. "A lot of people still live with their grandparents and parents." [Ibid]

To better suit the Chinese market, some Kohler toilets are made a few inches shorter than in the U.S. And in a nation where nearly 1 in 4 residents smoke, Kohler salespeople in China often brag that their flushing system is powerful enough to suck down all the remnants of an emptied ashtray. "We've done this demonstration over and over," said Eric Sun, a company official. biggest challenge is installation," Yuen said. "It's why we're promoting and working with certified Kohler plumbers. There's just a lot of ignorance and second-rate piping out there."

Chinese Bathhouses

Bathhouses used to be fixtures of Beijing and other Chinese cities. They hark back to a time long past when homes here lacked plumbing and all bathing was communal. They also served as social gathering points where men flocked to sweat, talk politics and relax. [Source: Benjamin Haas, Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2011]

Benjamin Haas wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "Chinese courtyard houses traditionally didn't have plumbing, so public bathhouses and toilets dotted the city. In 1935, Beijing alone had 123 traditional bathhouses. Families would make special trips during three major traditional Chinese holidays: the Spring and Dragon Boat festivals and Tomb Sweeping Day.

Traditional Chinese bathhouses date back to the 17th century, when specialized bricks were imported from Europe. Almost all were for males only. Bathhouses were a destination for people from all walks of life, who would mingle without being subject to the rigid hierarchies of the outside world. "There wasn't a separation between common people and nobility," said Zhao Shu, a retired member of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Program. "Once you take your clothes off, everyone is the same."

In recent years, one by one, the traditional bathhouses have been replaced by modern spas in upscale hotels that help define today's Beijing. The new ones cost 180 yuan ($27) and up, compared with the eight-yuan entrance fee of the old bathhouses.


Chinese Bathhouse Users and Culture

Zhang Shan, a 67-year-old factory worker, is a typical bathhouse user. Haas wrote he has simplified his daily schedule to the bare essentials: Wake up, eat breakfast, walk to his local bathhouse and undress. Zhang, 67, used to commute more than an hour by bus to fulfill his daily ritual, but two years ago he moved within walking distance. [Source: Benjamin Haas, Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2011]

Zhang lives alone in a small room. His bathroom has a toilet and a sink, but no shower. "If I'm at home, I'm not happy, I'm lonely," Zhang explained, sitting with only a white towel around his waist. "But then I come here and talk to friends, read the newspaper or play chess." "I've been to Bali to see what a Western spa is like," said Xiong, who often washes in his own bathhouse. "They don't use natural light, there's no socializing and there are too many creams and soaps. It's so artificial."

Beijingers, young and old, spend hours wrapped in white towels playing chess or singing patriotic songs. Socializing clearly takes precedence over scrubbing; less than one-third of the 1,800-square-foot bathhouse is devoted to baths and showers. Upon entering, patrons are greeted by two rows of narrow wooden beds where they can nap, eat or converse. When they do go for a dip, they gather in groups and bob around the bath.

One of Zhang's closest bathhouse friends, Dou Liya, 54, an eccentric poet who recites verses to anyone who will listen, first started visiting Shuangxing on doctor's orders after suffering a stroke. Now he frequents the bathhouse for the companionship, not for his health."If Zhang Shan wasn't here, I would stop coming," Dou said before launching into another poem.

On a recent Sunday, retirees discussed the Western-led airstrikes on Libya and debated whether other countries had their own Tomb Sweeping Day, during which Chinese visit their ancestors' graves.


End of Beijing's Bathhouses

Shuangxing Bathhouse, built in 1916, is the last known bathhouse in Beijing. Located in the southern outskirts of the city, it seem destined to be torn down by local authorities intent on the redeveloping the area where it stands. [Source: Benjamin Haas, Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2011]

Shuangxing Bathhouse is on the first floor of an unassuming hotel. Countless renovations over 95 years have left the entryway with a hodgepodge of architectural styles varying from Greek columns and gilded molding to round Chinese archways and carved calligraphy signs. But the bathhouse itself has seemingly stayed untouched, and owner Xiong Zhizhong is adamant about keeping the interior as close to the original as possible.

In 1999, the interior of the bathhouse served as the location for an acclaimed feature film, "Shower." The plot follows an elderly owner in failing health as his fictional bathhouse faces imminent destruction by the authorities, with an eye to redevelopment. Now that the plot could become reality, Beijingers savor what could be close to their last soak here. Zhang waxed philosophical about the need to protect Shuangxing Bathhouse. "We came from water. Without it, there would be no life," he said.

Since the economic liberalization of the 1980s, more than two-thirds of Beijing's traditional alleyways, or hutongs—where bathhouse culture was most alive— have been destroyed to make way for apartment blocks.Local government "officials only think about what the top officials want them to focus on, and that means new things and Western styles," said He Shuzhong, founder of the nongovernmental Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center. "They believe old buildings and the idea of the new Beijing, as a world city, are incompatible."

In 2006, Xiong applied for protected status for his building with the Ministry of Culture. Five years later, he hasn't heard back. In a last-ditch effort to save the site, Xiong hired experts to measure and photograph every inch of the space. He plans to move the entire building nearby.

Zhao, the retired culture official, used to sit on the committee that grants historical protected status. If his thinking is in line with that of current members, Shuangxing Bathhouse's days could be numbered. "We have to move forward," he said. "Our life in Beijing has already changed so much." But the same crush of development that has swept Chinese people into modern apartment blocks has also meant that bathhouses have become obsolete.

Image Sources: Julie Chao Julie Chao > Photos > China except toilet paper delivery, Perrechon, and poster, Landsberger Posters Page Not Found | IISH : Toto Japan; Asia Obscura AsiaObscura | Weird and Awesome Across the East ;

Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton's Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.\

HYGIENE AND TOILETS IN CHINA AND THE LAST BATHHOUSE IN BEIJING - China | Facts and Details

**********************

That much for the false propaganda being purveyed as 'real' China!

 

[Ray]

China is a closed society.

It is media is gagged.

The Communist media that is Govt controlled is only of statistics and 'feel good' news.

The reality is cloaked and no one knows, mostly the Chinese.

The little that has opened up to foreigners is a tip of the iceberg as to what they observe and the little that they observe is enough to realise the falsehood that the Chinese perpetuate to the world as 'true'.

Let us not get taken up with that rosy images these Chinese project on the forum.

They are lies.

Dig deep and you will smell the stink!

 

[libindi]

China is a closed society.

It is media is gagged.

The Communist media that is Govt controlled is only of statistics and 'feel good' news.

The reality is cloaked and no one knows, mostly the Chinese.

The little that has opened up to foreigners is a tip of the iceberg as to what they observe and the little that they observe is enough to realise the falsehood that the Chinese perpetuate to the world as 'true'.

Let us not get taken up with that rosy images these Chinese project on the forum.

They are lies.

Dig deep and you will smell the stink!

Yeah right，china is closed，while i see more and more foreigner showed up in my city，i go to have a dinner，there is foreigner having meal there too，i go to a park，i saw several foreigner family。

 

[libindi]

You know whats funny，im watching a show which talking about how Narcissism indians are，now i totaly agree

 

[blank_quest]

Yeah right，china is closed，while i see more and more foreigner showed up in my city，i go to have a dinner，there is foreigner having meal there too，i go to a park，i saw serval foreigner family。

You just see the foreigners. Do the foreigners know about whats happening in China.Transparency does means an Open Governance where people can keep an eye on the govt. China has none.

 

[blank_quest]

You know whats funny，im watching a show which talking about how Narcissism indians are，now i totaly agree

Ya , laugh to your hearts content. we don't want to build any image. if that is ,so be it.

 

[libindi]

You just see the foreigners. Do the foreigners know about whats happening in China.Transparency does means an Open Governance where people can keep an eye on the govt. China has none.

At least this Goverment doing a much better than the "Transparent" one in india，oh wait i forgot china need 20 years to catch up with india,you know india is such a bad example of democracy，every time a pro democracy chinese says we should rush for democracy we told them if we do that we will end up like india，they always shout："why you even want to compare with india？does it make you feel better for compare with the worst？"

 

[libindi]

oh and about the Transparency you siad in india，does it means indian politician bribe each other in front of camera？

 

[blank_quest]

At least this Goverment doing a much better than the "Transparent" one in india，oh wait i forgot china need 20 years to catch up with india,you know india is such a bad example of democracy，every time a pro democracy chinese says we should rush for democracy we told them if we do that we will end up like india，they always shout："why you even want to compare with india？does it make you feel better for compare with the worst？"

just think what does it takes to balance b/w development and rights. Development is not a Monolithic concept. For you maybe development only means Infrastructure. But in India there is a constant conflict b/w rights and resources. You can't just grab the land from citizens like in PRC and make infrastructure. It needs the resettlement and proper compensation for the people displaced. Indians are more assertive than Chinese.You can't take resources just like that. People will beating the shit out of govt. and for your info India has many schemes for even Toilets. Rural News Update | 'Green toilets' to be introduced in trains - Im4change
All Rail coaches to have bio-toilets by 2017, says Jairam « India Current Affairs
Bio-toilets to bring about rural revolution in the country, says Jairam « India Current Affairs

There are many things going on. Just live in your dream world of PRC.

 

[blank_quest]

At least this Goverment doing a much better than the "Transparent" one in india，oh wait i forgot china need 20 years to catch up with india,you know india is such a bad example of democracy，every time a pro democracy chinese says we should rush for democracy we told them if we do that we will end up like india，they always shout："why you even want to compare with india？does it make you feel better for compare with the worst？"

just think what does it takes to balance b/w development and rights. Development is not a Monolithic concept. For you maybe development only means Infrastructure. But in India there is a constant conflict b/w rights and resources. You can't just grab the land from citizens like in PRC and make infrastructure. It needs the resettlement and proper compensation for the people displaced. Indians are more assertive than Chinese.You can't take resources just like that. People will beating the shit out of govt. and for your info India has many schemes for even Toilets. Rural News Update | 'Green toilets' to be introduced in trains - Im4change
All Rail coaches to have bio-toilets by 2017, says Jairam « India Current Affairs
Bio-toilets to bring about rural revolution in the country, says Jairam « India Current Affairs

There are many things going on. Just live in your dream world of PRC.