Chinese voice opinions on high-end public toilets

The Fangshan district of Beijing offers a state-of-the-art public toilet equipped with Wi-Fi, an A.T.M., 

chargers for mobile phones and electric vehicles, and personal television screens.

BEIJING — Li Wen had heard about the turbo-strength flush power and the lily-scented soap. He knew about the stalls equipped with personal television screens and wireless Internet access, the soothing cello soundtrack and the windows lined with aloe vera plants.

李文（音）听说过有配备私人电视屏幕和无线网络的厕所，里面有涡轮抽水马桶、百合香味的肥皂以及摆放着一排芦荟的窗台，还播放着舒缓的大提琴音乐。

But Mr. Li, 39, a salesman, was skeptical when he set foot in the new public toilet at the corner of Fuqian Square in Fangshan, a district in southwest Beijing. "What was wrong with the old one?" he said. "The government has too much money and doesn't know how to spend it."

在走进位于北京西南部房山区的新公共厕所时，39岁的销售员李文持怀疑态度。他说："老式的有什么不好？政府钱太多，不知道怎么花了。"

Modern technology has changed nearly every facet of life in China in recent years, turning backwoods precincts into bustling cities and bringing cell phones to more than a billion people. But public restrooms in many areas have remained largely unchanged, equipped with the same squat toilets and concrete pits that Chinese people have used for generations.

现代技术近年来几乎改变了中国人生活的方方面面，将边远地区变成了繁华城市，将手机带到逾10亿人的生活中。但很多地方的公厕基本上没什么改变，配备几代中国人一直使用的那种蹲厕和水泥坑。

Signs on the outside of the public toilet advertise some of its services.

As the government seeks to improve sanitation and reduce environmental waste across the country, it is planning a major overhaul of public toilets. Over the next three years, it will build or renovate 57,000 restrooms, including some that will resemble the high-tech facility in Fangshan, the first of its kind in China.

在政府寻求改善全国各地的卫生状况并减少环境废物之际，它正计划对公共厕所进行一次重大改造。在未来三年中，政府将建造或整修5.7万个公共厕所，其中一些将与房山的那处高科技设施类似，那是中国首个此类公厕。

The idea has won praise from many residents who have long deplored the squalid, crumbling condition of many restrooms. But it has also brought criticism from those who say high-end toilets are a waste of resources.

这一想法得到了很多居民的称赞，他们早就对很多公厕又脏又破的条件感到不满。但它也遭到了很多人的批评，他们说高端厕所是浪费资源。

"It's just a toilet," said Lei Junying, 74, a retired farmer who lives in Fangshan. "Why do they have to make it such a nice one?"

74岁的雷俊英（音）是生活在房山的一名农民，她说："那只是个厕所。他们为什么非得把它搞得这么好？"

The restroom in Fangshan, which includes a separate room with vending machines and an A.T.M., as well as charging stations for electric cars, has quickly become a popular stop. Every hour, dozens of people visit, sometimes staying to watch a video montage promoting environmental protection.

房山的那处公厕包括一间单独的配备自动售货机和一台自动取款机的房间，还有电动汽车充电站，它很快变成了一个受欢迎的地方。每个小时都会有数十人前往那里，有时留下来观看一段环保宣传视频。

"Even the flush sounds different," said Zhou Wang, 25, a driver from Beijing. "Maybe it will help bring more foreign visitors. They think we're backwards because of our toilets."

北京司机、25岁的周旺（音）说："就连冲水声音都听起来不一样。这可能有助于吸引更多外国游客。因为我们的厕所，他们认为我们很落后。"

The restroom in Fangshan is designed to conserve water by recycling wastewater from sinks to flush toilets. In addition to squat toilets, it offers several sitting toilets and dividers between the stalls, features that are not standard in Chinese public toilets.

房山的那处公厕通过回收水槽废水用于冲洗厕所而节约水源。除蹲式厕所外，它还提供若干坐式马桶，并且厕位之间有隔板，这些特征并非中国公厕的标配。

But it has maintained some Chinese characteristics, including a communal roll of toilet paper at the entrance and a separate bin for used toilet paper.

但它保留了一些中国特色，例如入口处的公用卷纸和单独的废纸篓。

China has improved its toilets significantly in recent years, upgrading facilities for 593 million people between 1990 and 2010, according to the World Health Organization. But in poorer areas, it says, the challenges are acute, and 14 milion people still defecate in the open.

世界卫生组织称，近年来，中国大大改善了厕所条件，在1990年到2010年间为5.93亿人升级了设施。但该组织称，在较贫困的地区，挑战很严峻，1400万人仍然露天上厕所。

Chinese officials have said they plan to build more toilets like the one in Fangshan in other suburban and rural areas. The aim is to build "beautiful cities and livable homelands," according to a report by China.com.cn, a state-run news site.

中国官员称，他们计划在其他郊区和农村地区建造更多像房山公厕那样的厕所。根据中国网的一篇报道，其目标是建设"美丽城市、宜居家园"。

Lu Suisheng, 69, a former teacher from Inner Mongolia, visited the toilet several times during a recent trip to Fangshan to see his son. He said it would help encourage people to take better care of the environment in China.

来自内蒙古、曾任教师的69岁的卢岁生（音）在最近到房山看儿子时到过这个公厕几次。他说，这处新厕所将有助于鼓励人们更好地保护中国环境。

"Change is certainly needed," he said. "In some Chinese toilets, people need to step on bricks to avoid stepping on dirty areas. How can you use toilets like that?"

他说："改变当然是需要的。在一些中国厕所，为了不踩到脏处，人们需要踩在砖头上。那样的厕所让人怎么用？"

One of the janitors who helps maintain the toilet complex, Zhang Min, 35, said the new facility was a great improvement over the old one, which was known for its fetid smells in summer.

帮助维护这处公厕的管理员之一、35岁的张敏（音）说，这处新设施相比旧设施有了很大改进，旧式公厕在夏天气味难闻。

"It's much cleaner now," she said. "There's even a shower room and a changing room for us workers."

她说："现在干净多了。甚至还有一间淋浴室和一间更衣室供我们工作人员使用。"

She said most people had seemed to embrace the new technology, though a few complained that it was no longer possible to flush the toilet by kicking a handle. (A button must now be pressed.)

她说，多数人似乎对新技术欣然接受，但有少数人抱怨不再能够通过用脚踩一个开关来冲厕所。（现在必须按一个按钮。）

Some residents worry that the popularity of the new toilet and the presence of television screens and Wi-Fi will encourage guests to linger too long.

一些居民担心新厕所的高人气以及电视屏幕和无线网络的存在会鼓励人们逗留过长时间。

On a recent day, Li Peiling, 39, a dental assistant, grew restless after waiting five minutes for a stall. She began to shout at the row of closed doors. "Time's up!" she said. "Some of us need to get to work!"

报道称，前不久的一天，39岁的牙医助理李佩玲（音）在等候五分钟后变得焦躁。她开始对着那排关着的门喊道："时间到了！我们有些人需要去上班。"