Chinese tourism authority urges halt to “five-star” toilets

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Head of China National Tourism Administration Li Jinzao on Monday urged local authorities to halt the construction of so-called “five-star toilets," saying practical purposes should come first.

Li made the statement at a national work meeting on tourism held in the city of Xiamen, Fujian Province, where he called on the promotion of “toilet revolution,” an initiative focused on renovating public restrooms and bringing better services to people.

A public restroom in Foshan, Guangdong Province. /VCG Photo

The “toilet revolution” was launched by the Chinese government across the country in 2015. It planned to add 33,000 public restrooms and renovate 24,000 between 2015 and 2017.

According to Li, by the end of 2017, a total of 70,000 toilets had been renovated or constructed, far more than the plan. But Li also warned that the achievement was only a beginning, and it requires a longer time and continued efforts in the future.

The tourism chief urged local departments to construct and renovate another 64,000 toilets in the next three years. But he also slammed the recent reports of extravagant public restroom decoration that were dubbed “five-star toilets” by Chinese social media users.

A sanitation worker cleans a public restroom in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. /VCG Photo

He said the design and construction of the toilets should not be extravagant, and the focus should be on practical purposes.

The daily administration and maintenance of the toilets are also important, said the director, adding that it is an important part of quality of life for the public.