Monday, 12 January 2009
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The Chinese Toilet
by Anne 
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Chinese Toilet... at least the ones I had the experience of learning how to use during my stay in China. These hole in the ground type toilets frightened me at first because I wasn't sure I could take a whiz without peeing on myself. They require a bit of skill, the powerful legs of an ox (not really), and the balance of a tightrope walker (not really). It took me a few tries to acquire the skill of hovering. In the beginning stages I resorted to leaning back with my hands against the wall to prop myself up, but after a short while I could do it without help. Look, Ma! No hands!
In addition, I always had to remind myself that the toilet paper was placed outside of the stall where everyone grabbed a piece before going in. In a toilet like this one, I had to pull on a rope that hung from the ceiling to flush the toilet. And do you see that waste basket in the corner? The ones I saw looked just like that one too and lemme tell ya, you can see all sorts of stuff in those things!
I've never had this experience, but my brother told me he once walked into a stall like this where the toilet was not flushed. There, several rather large brown logs hovering above ground greeted him, making him want to throw up. And although, I do not understand this, he said he had to pee so bad he stood there peeing over the logs with his fingers pinching his nose and eyes closed!
It all made sense to me when I asked a Chinese friend why they didn't want to have toilet seats to sit on. She looked at me in disgust and asked me, "You mean you want to put your butt on a germy seat that everyone else put their butt on?" Well... if she put it that way, it makes total sense! Toilet seat covers don't seem all that thick either now that I think of it!
I still prefer toilet seats though, only because I'm so used to it. If anything, I have one thing to be glad about with my experience with the chinese toilets. I am an expert at hovering now and have used this skill during camping or even one desperate moment while horseback riding out in the middle of no where. Pretty much the only time I didn't have as much luck with the hovering skill was on a moving train with the same type of toilet, going up to Sapa, Vietnam. Not a pleasent experience.
Have you used a toilet like this? What other things do you find in other countries that is different from yours?
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Comments (245)
I've never used a toilet like this and I hope I never have to.
I think my sister and Mum once used a toilet like this in Greece.
LOL ah this brought back so many fond memories of growing up in china. my grandparents still have a toilet like this and i never recall having to "learn" to hover, u just do it. i don't think it takes the leg muscles of an ox... just a certain balancing technique maybe?
i've also used a similar hovering "toilet" except it didn't even have a flush... it just deposits in a big pile down below and u have flies buzzing around. u gotta be careful not to fall in -- think slumdog millionaire style! haha
ok this is the grossest comment i've typed in a long time.
Squat toilets are actually much healthier for you, even if they are a tad more difficult to use. I recall it took awhile to get used to them though.
@just_the_average_jane@xanga - How can a toilet be healthy? How can a toilet be unhealthy? Are you drunk?
You're not going to get any kind of disease from sitting on a toilet seat. Unless you've got open wounds on your legs and you didn't wipe and/or cover the seat before sitting on it.
Oh man I remember in the Korean countryside there were toilets like these.
Not a fan
My family used to have one like this in Vietnam. It smelled kinda funky but hey what restrooms normally don't. They've since upgraded to a toilet.
Ah, they had similar toilets in Verona, Italy. Not fun =S A lot of us chose to hold it until we got to one of the break stops on the road to Venice 'cause we weren't brave enough to attempt it o.O Some girls managed it though; we had to give them a round of applause, hahaha! Silly, right? =P
taking a dump in the Chinese Toilet is painful, if you have weak legs like I do
My legs starts to tremble and wobble not a pleasant experience-.-"
@puk_nthn_gai@xanga - It's actually not about contact with the toilet seat, it's about the posture. Squatting makes elimination faster, easier, and more complete; it also protects nerves controlling the bladder/uterus/prostate, relaxes the muscle closing off the rectum, and seals the valve between the colon and small intestine. Squatting might also reduce the chance of hemmorhoids.
Most public toilets in China are squat toilets, and even some older residence homes have them too. They take a while to get used to, but actually they are much more sanitary than sitting ones. =)
I got pretty good at using those toilets in China. I was more of a fan of holding the door handle the whole time. This served two purposes - to keep me from falling in (especially when i was wearing heels) and to keep the door shut since many doors I encountered had no locks. Personally I'd rather use a toilet seat than hover - at least with a toilet seat you're less likely to piddle on yourself, but to each his own I guess!
@phuck_diz_shiz@xanga - haha. omg! i never pooped in one of those toilets. i always waited to do #2 when we got back to our hotel with the regular toilets. i'd imagine it would be super tough for my weak legs, as well. haha.
@just_the_average_jane@xanga - That's just wrong.. That you know anything like that.
haha yep my family's from china and we visit often so i've always been used to these toilets... and i think the same way as your friend! even if there IS a toilet seat i almost always hover anyway, because you can't really trust public toilets. the only public toilets i trust are the really nice places, like fancy hotels or restaurants, or (this is kind of a weird example) the computer lab at my school because i know the cleaning schedule of the janitor so i know when i'm the first one to use the toilet seat!
@puk_nthn_gai@xanga - I think she means squatters are more ergonomical, which they actually are.
If you go to big cities like Shanghai, most restrooms are retrofitted with seats. You only get squatters in rural places or ghetto areas. But yeah, I never understood the toilet paper deal. What's so hard about putting them in the stalls? How often can you budget tp amount just right? God help you if you come up short.
yeah, during my stay there the exchange students i was with called them all "squatty potties"
wow i give props to whoever has to use that, geez.. id rather take a tinkle outside behind a bush lol
i went to China with my college marching band back in November 2007-we were all so scared to use the 'squatty potties', but I was the first out of the 150 of us to do it and started a trend, lol.....it sure was interesting trying to use it on the overnight train we took from Shanghai to Beijing, lol.....
lol. taiwan has them too (went there for two weeks with my best friend). i just held my pee till i got home or went into a movie theatre. movie theatres in taiwan have made it into the modern world with standing toilets so you dont have to kneel to pee plus i just dont have good aim. at least in china they equip you toilet paper, in taiwan you had to bring your own :*(
D: Those toilets suck! I had to use them like 20+ times in Asia because I drank a lot. :T
I wouldn't mind that; it seems a lot safer considering the germs.
older homes in the philippines have these, and didnt have ropes to flush... you had to pour half a bucket to a bucket full of water to force the ... uhm stuff down manually... and when it did become one of thse elevated toilets, there's still no seat... so you had to hover... and still pour the bucket of water.. most public schools have those kinds of toilets.
it's more common now to find the elevated toilets and actually have seats, but there's no toilet paper or seat covers.... most of the time the toilet paper is in those mechanical vending machines that usually dispense sanitary napkins and pads. no tampons in the philippines though... not that i use them. just an observation i made while i was there. and yeah think three to five squares of one ply sheets for every 10PHP (~0.25USD)