Friday, July 13, 2007

I See A Faucet, But Where's The Soap Dispenser?

If you have any plans of trying to catch next summer's Olympic U-23 soccer tournament live and in person, set aside a travel day for the city of Chongqing. The southern city, with a population of 31 million, has finally gotten it's public restroom situation in order.

First, the city installed open air urinals on the city's infamous Foreigners Street featuring tiny waist screens that left little to the imaginations of passers-by. Then came news of outdoor sinks, pictured above, that make the hand-washing experience, um, awkward for 13-year-old boys. Now comes news that the city has opened the world's largest restroom. The four-story, 1,000-stall facility features TVs, a soothing soundtrack piped throughout, crocodile- and Virgin Mary-themed urinals, and stalls with no roofs for those who prefer to relieve themselves under the light of the moon.

An interesting story all around, it almost makes you forget about what else is going on in China.

Outdoor toilets an unused curiosity [China Daily]
Chongqing's doggie-style public sinks [Shanghaiist]
China city debuts opulent public toilet [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
China Shuts Down Western-Run Newsletter [New York Times]
750,000 a year killed by Chinese pollution [Financial Times]
Child labour caution for China Olympics [Financial Times]

-ac

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks, AC. We can always count on you to give us the straight poop.