China to add 64,000 public toilets

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Chinese tourism authorities have set a target of building over 64,000 new toilets across the country in the next three years.

China has an unwelcome reputation for smelly lavs, but China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) released figures showing how that situation is changing on Sunday, World Toilet Day.

More than 68,000 new toilets were added across China from 2015 to the end of October, exceeding targets by almost 20 percent, Sina News reported the CNTA saying.

A new toilet in Xi'an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province /CGTN Photo

The past few years have seen Chinese officials increasingly taking public toilets as a point of pride and important for foreign perceptions of the country. There have been efforts to improve bathrooms in rural and urban areas.

Administrators got creative with this toilet at a scenic area in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. /CGTN Photo

In Beijing, 2015-2017 saw 100 bathrooms upgraded to be wheelchair accessible, 100 given anti-freeze technology and 200 bathrooms added at tourist sites. The proportion of women’s toilets has also been increased, and there has been a movement to extend WiFi coverage to public conveniences.

Sina News quoted Italian media marveling at toilets in the Chinese Gobi Desert with wireless Internet access.