Plumber Install Water Saving Devices In Home (Photo : Getty Images)
China continues to undergo a toilet revolution in both urban and rural areas as the country levels up when it comes to sanitation and attempt to catch up with international standards. However, the contrast between the city and the small town shows because while Beijing is building 100 toilets with free WiFi, rural towns are now enjoying flush toilets.
That is why some elderly rural residents are now beginning to get used to flush toilets from the pit toilets they have been using since they were children. A 77-year-old woman from Gansu Province described their old toilets as not convenient or sanitary since it was made only of mud bricks that circled a pit and roofless. Since it was outdoors, during winter it was very cold and full of maggots.
Global Times reported that the National Tourism Administration aims to construct or renovate 25,000 toilet facilities this 2016, especially in rural areas where many toilets are still shacks in the field or open pits beside pig pens.
Despite the high cost of a modern toilet bowl, at 10,000 yuan ($1,500), many Chinese families are investing into the sanitary way of disposing human waste even if it would eat about 15 percent of their annual income of about 70,000 yuan.
Besides the ceramic commode, the modern bathroom would have tiles, a wash stand and water heater. It would also be inside the house, linked to the bedrooms through hallways.
The push for international standard of toilets started a few years ago when China began hosting international events such as the Beijing Olympics. In 2014, no less than President Xi Jinping, during an inspection tour of Jiangsu Province, ordered local governments to push through with the toilet revolution.
