How to Use a Chinese Toilet

China is a huge and diverse country currently in the throes of rapid development. Any traveller to China will find something to suit their adventure, from shopping in glitzy high-rise malls in cosmopolitan Shanghai, to trekking with ethnic minorities through rice paddies in Yunnan.

Wherever your Chinese travels take you, eventually you will be faced with possibly the ugliest aspect of the country: the squat toilet.

Toilets in China vary, from pristine Western porcelain bowls made fresh with the addition of rose petals in the water to something not very much different from a flower bed itself. In cities, you will likely encounter almost clean, flushing in-the-ground units, and in the country, you might be forced to relieve yourself above a trough--privacy, if any, made by low, flimsy walls--maintained with regular gushes of water from a source at one end. Wherever you are, it is a near guarantee that the facilities will be smelly.

In any situation, mastering the squat will be essential, especially for ladies, and this "How To" will explain, step-by-step, how to go about doing it with maximum ease and minimal mess.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• toilet paper
• strong knees and ankles
• courage to endure very unpleasant odors and sights
• anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, or wipes

1. You are at that point. You cannot hold it any longer and the hotel is miles away. You find a place to go and nope, not a single stall is hiding the treasured Western toilet. Fret not, with a bit of practice and preparation, you will be in and out, business concluded, before you faint from the smell.
   
   First thing's first. Take your tissue (you should always keep some with you) out and hang up any bags or coats or objects that might drag. If you feel uncomfortable with this, or if there aren't any hooks, secure whatever items you may have on you. You don't want anything dangling off you.

2. Stand with a foot on either side of the bowl, or trough, or hole, facing toward the door (or where the door should be). There might even be places for the feet made obvious with ridged footpads.

3. If wearing trousers, unfasten them. Now, in one move, grab your underwear and trousers at the hips, slide them down AND bend the knees. This will leave you with the seat of your trousers baggy, so with a firm grip on both your trousers and underwear, lower further, bunch up the material and tuck it under your knees. You should now be squatting over the toilet, rear end exposed, and trousers securely fixed in the bend of the knees.

4. Before you relieve yourself, check for alignment. You should be squarely over the toilet, as low as you can be, and if you have properly tucked your trousers under you, you should see an ample gap between your lap and your knees. Also, if wearing baggy pants, you should make sure that no part of the lower leg is in danger of getting splashed on.

5. Complete your business, doing your best to balance. If feeling wobbly, you might want to hold the bottom of the door in front of you, if there is one.

6. Once done, remember that toilet paper goes in the bin provided next to the toilet (if there isn't one, just drop it as usual).
   
   Now that that's finished, pull up and congratulate yourself for a job well done!

7. **Alternative instructions for skirts:
   
   The trick with skirts is coordinating your skirt with your underwear. The best way to do this is hiking up and bunching the skirt around your waist, then holding it with the elbows while using the hands to tackle the underwear. With a skirt, lower slowly, and secure your underwear under the knees. Remember to check your alignment and make sure you haven't left any part of your skirt dragging behind you.

Tips & Warnings

• You might want to practice your squat before being faced with the real thing. Balancing can be tricky, and if you're not used to it, you'll likely try to squat with all of your weight on the balls of your feet. Chinese people, used to the position, squat with their feet flat, which takes some practice, but is much more stable.
• Always take a packet of tissue with you. Few public toilets have toilet paper.
• If you happen to forget your tissue, don't feel awkward asking a Chinese woman to borrow some of hers. Chinese ladies ALWAYS carry tissue and most will be more than happy to help a sister in need. Sign language will eventually get the message across (after all, what are most people doing in the toilets), if you don't know the language.
• You might want to carry some anti-bacterial hand gel. Not all toilets are equipped with adequate sinks.
• In many places, you must pay for using the toilet. The fee is usually minimal (3 or 4 jiao), but don't expect any elevation of standard because a charge is involved.
• In rural places, privacy is often a luxury, even in the toilets. Some toilets are nothing but a row of holes and women take care of business together, sometimes with children, unabashedly. Don't be alarmed if curiosity in you is openly expressed, especially if you are a blonde or ginger. While stares might be upsetting or annoying, they are not at all harmful.

[amsteinman]

on 8/18/2007 I think that the instructions are excellent In my trip to China I was not always so fortunate as to get to the toilet on time. Advice to carry an extra set of underpants and trousers would have served me well :-(