Most public toilets in China are squat toilets, meaning there’s no seat. Instead, you’ll find a porcelain basin set into the floor, and you straddle it in a squatting position. It’s straightforward once you know the basics, but a few details about supplies, plumbing, and etiquette will make the experience much smoother.
Finding the Right Door
Public restrooms in China label doors with Chinese characters rather than always including universal pictograms. The men’s room is marked 男 (nán) and the women’s room is marked 女 (nǚ). These two characters are worth memorizing before your trip. The character for toilet itself is 厕所 (cèsuǒ), which you’ll see on directional signs in malls, train stations, and tourist areas. Many newer facilities in major cities also have a “third restroom” (第三卫生间) designed for families, people with disabilities, or anyone who needs more space and a Western-style seated toilet.
What to Bring With You
Most public toilets in China do not provide toilet paper. This isn’t a rare inconvenience; it’s the norm across the vast majority of the country’s roughly 196,000 public restrooms. Carry a small pack of tissue in your bag every time you leave your hotel. A travel-size bottle of hand sanitizer is equally important, since soap dispensers are often empty or missing. Some travelers also carry a small plastic bag for used tissue in case there’s no waste bin available, though that’s uncommon.
A few high-profile locations have experimented with automated paper dispensers. The Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing introduced a facial recognition dispenser in 2017 that scans your face and gives you a limited amount of paper, then makes you wait before dispensing more. These machines are rare, though, and not something to rely on.
How to Use a Squat Toilet Step by Step
When you enter the stall, you’ll see an oblong basin recessed into the floor, usually with a ridged footpad on each side. The hooded or raised end of the basin is the front, and the open drain is the back. Face the hooded end.
Place your feet flat on the ridged footpads, roughly hip-width apart. Pull your pants and underwear down to your knees or, if you’re worried about them touching the floor, all the way to your ankles and hold the fabric forward. Then lower yourself into a deep squat. Keep your heels flat on the ground. Lifting onto the balls of your feet tightens your pelvic floor muscles and actually makes it harder to go. Lean slightly forward with your elbows resting on or near your knees. The pressure of your thighs against your lower abdomen helps things along naturally.
If you’re not used to deep squatting, your thighs and ankles may fatigue quickly. Widening your stance a bit improves balance. Some people rest a hand on the side wall if one is within reach. With practice over a few days, the position becomes much easier to hold.
Where to Put Used Toilet Paper
This is the part that surprises most Western travelers: do not flush your toilet paper. Over three-quarters of China’s public restrooms require you to place used tissue in the open waste bin inside the stall. The plumbing in many buildings, especially older ones, uses narrow pipes and paper that doesn’t disintegrate easily in water. Non-flushable tissue can show no sign of breaking down even after two hours of agitation, which leads to clogs and backed-up sewers.
A survey of 200 people in China found that over 80% voluntarily put their used tissue in the waste bin, so this is deeply embedded habit, not just a suggestion on a sign. Look for the small bin (usually uncovered) next to the basin. In newer hotels, upscale malls, and international airports, the plumbing can often handle flushed paper, and there may be no bin in the stall at all. When in doubt, follow the bin rule.
Flushing
Many squat toilets flush with a button or pedal near the floor. Some have a pull chain or a push valve on the wall. In simpler facilities, particularly at highway rest stops or rural areas, the toilet may use a trough system that flushes automatically on a timed cycle, sending water through all stalls at once. There’s nothing you need to do in those cases except finish and leave before the next flush cycle.
What to Expect in Different Settings
The experience varies enormously depending on where you are. Shopping malls in Shanghai or Beijing often have spotless restrooms with both squat and Western-style options, attendants who clean regularly, and stocked supplies. Train station restrooms are a significant step down: busier, less maintained, and almost always squat-only. Highway rest stops along intercity routes tend to be the most basic, sometimes with minimal partitions between stalls and no running water for handwashing.
If having a seated toilet matters to you, international hotels, Starbucks locations, and Western chain restaurants reliably have them. The “third restroom” stalls in airports and newer transit hubs also have seated toilets and are usually single-occupancy, offering more privacy and space.
Tips That Make a Real Difference
- Empty your pockets first. Phones and wallets fall out of pockets in a deep squat more often than you’d think, and retrieving something from a squat toilet drain is not a situation you want to be in.
- Wear shoes you can wipe down. Restroom floors, especially in busy transit stations, are frequently wet. Sandals with open toes are a poor choice.
- Use the accessible stall when available. Chinese building codes require accessible toilets in public facilities, and these stalls are larger with grab bars and a seated toilet. They’re a practical option if you have knee problems, mobility limitations, or are traveling with small children.
- Pay toilets exist. Some public restrooms, particularly near tourist sites, charge a small fee of 1 to 2 yuan (roughly 15 to 30 US cents). Keep coins or small bills handy, though many now accept mobile payment.
- Download a restroom finder app. Apps like Amap (高德地图) show nearby public restrooms and sometimes include cleanliness ratings.