Toilets in China: An Honest Guide to Public Bathrooms

Published 2026-10-26 · 71Asia Tours

The thing nobody puts in the brochure

Every guidebook tells you about the Great Wall and the dumplings. Very few mention that your first bathroom in China will probably be a porcelain trough set into the floor, with no paper, no hook and nowhere to put your coat. I have watched adults freeze in the doorway of a Beijing hutong toilet, then squat in a mountain hut outside Zhangjiajie three days later with the calm of someone doing yoga.

It takes a day. What helps is knowing where the good bathrooms are and which mistakes to avoid.

The squat toilet, without the panic

Most public toilets in mainland China are squat style: a trough in the floor with raised footprints either side and a hood at the back. You face the hood, not the door. Feet flat on the platforms, trousers down to the knees and held there, one hand on the grab bar that most stalls have. If your ankles complain, put your heels down and lean back slightly.

Two things before you crouch: empty your pockets into your bag, because phones slide out of jacket pockets in exactly this position, and check that you already have paper in your hand.

Used paper goes in the bin beside the toilet, not in the bowl. Plumbing in older buildings cannot take it. The bins are emptied constantly, so it is not a sign that the place is dirty.

If you have knee or hip trouble, look for a stall marked 坐 (sit) or the accessible cubicle. Malls, airports and high-speed trains nearly always have one. Older scenic areas often do not.

Where the good bathrooms actually are

China has spent serious money on public toilets since 2015, but the gap between a city toilet and a mountain toilet is huge. This is the order I look in:

• Shopping malls. Clean, free, paper usually stocked, often a sit-down stall. Basement levels near the food court are the safest bet.
• Metro stations. Free and signed in every big city, though not at every entrance.
• Fast food and coffee chains. KFC, McDonald's and Starbucks rarely turn anyone away.
• Hotel lobbies. Walk in as though you are meeting someone. Nobody checks.
• Scenic areas. Improving quickly, but expect squat stalls, a queue around midday, and a one or two yuan charge at some older sites.

What to carry, every day

• A pack of tissues. Paper is often missing, or the dispenser is empty by ten in the morning.
• Hand sanitiser. Soap is the first thing to disappear.
• A small zip bag for used tissue, for the toilets where the bin is full or absent.
• A spare roll in your daypack if you are heading to Tibet or out on a rural hike.

Reading the signs

卫生间 and 洗手间 both mean restroom, and either will get you pointed the right way. 厕所 is the blunt word, the one on road signs. 男 is men, 女 is women, 有人 means occupied, 无人 means free. The pictograms are usually clear, but the characters help when a door has none.

On trains, in the mountains, at altitude

High-speed trains have western-style toilets with paper and a hook, plus one squat stall per carriage. Do not use them while the train stands at a station: the door locks automatically. On older overnight trains, expect a squat toilet and a floor you should not inspect too closely.

Zhangjiajie is where planning pays off. The toilets at the Bailong Elevator and the Tianzi cableway are decent but jammed between eleven and two, when tour groups arrive. Go before you queue, not after. Toilets along the Golden Whip Stream are basic.

Tibet is its own case. Water is scarce, shared bathrooms in guesthouses are normal, and the toilets at Namtso are pits with a view. The temptation is to drink less so you need to go less. Do not. Dehydration makes altitude sickness worse, and altitude sickness will ruin more of your trip than any bathroom will. Drink normally and carry paper.

City by city

Beijing

Hutong toilets have improved and are still mostly squat, often without paper after dark. Parks are reliable. Malls around Sanlitun and Wangfujing are the comfortable option.

Xi'an

The City Wall has toilets at each gate, cramped but usable. The Muslim Quarter is the weak spot: narrow lanes, long queues. Malls around the Bell Tower are much better.

Chengdu

Teahouse toilets in People's Park are what you would expect from a place where people sit for six hours. The park's public blocks are fine, and the malls near Chunxi Road are easy.

Chongqing

The hills make this the most annoying city for a sudden need: a bathroom that looks close on the map may be four flights of stairs away. Monorail stations and the malls at Jiefangbei are your friends.

Shanghai

The easiest city on this list. Metro stations, malls and chain cafes cover almost every block, and sit-down stalls are common. Near the Bund, the department stores stay open late.

Hong Kong and Macao

Different rules: paper goes in the bowl, and the small bin is for everything else. Not every MTR station has a public toilet, so use the mall attached to it. In Macao, casino floors and LRT stations are spotless and free.

Taipei

MRT stations are clean and free, convenience stores almost always have one, and night markets are best served by the temples at either end. In older buildings, follow the sign on the door about paper.

A few habits that make it easier

Go before you commit to a long transfer. Five minutes before a two-hour bus are worth more than any app. Carry tissues even on days when you think you will not need them, because the day you leave them in the hotel is the day the dispenser is empty. A mall bathroom in Chengdu is as good as anything in Europe, and a mountain pit toilet with a view of the peaks is part of the trip.

Written by the team at 71Asia Tours, a China-based tour operator with licensed Spanish- and English-speaking guides. Browse all tours · About us · Our guides · Reviews · FAQ