Have you ever complained about the poor state of public toilets at scenic spots? Well, the situation looks set to improve as the Beijing municipal government is to launch a scheme to clean them up and to give them a new "star" rating system.

That was the message released at a meeting last Friday attended by officials from the municipal government and the Beijing Tourism Bureau.

A two-year plan for toilet reconstruction at scenic spots and a star-rating standard were drafted.

A total of 452 public toilets in Beijing's 305 major scenic spots will be upgraded or even rebuilt to give tourists better facilities, according to the plan.

The plan puts the toilets at scenic attractions into four categories, the top one being four-star.

The proposal lists 58 things a toilet should have in terms of facilities, decoration and management.

The toilets' transformation will improve facilities according to gender, age and other special characteristics of people.

For example, four-star toilets should have granite floors, sufficient lighting, lively music, facilities to wash your hands, tissues, automatic flush, hand-dryers and bathrooms specially designed for disabled and old people.

There will also be more toilets built for women.

The signs for the toilets should be eye-catching and spelled out correctly both in Chinese and English.

All the work will begin in January.

"Star toilets" should file applications to the pricing bureau if they charge tourists an entrance fee.

But they are advised not to do so, said Yu Changjiang, director of Beijing Tourism Bureau. He said the toilets should be free to use in order to enhance the city's reputation.

As an international city which attracts more than two million overseas tourists each year, Beijing provides them with good accommodation, shopping, cuisine and transportation.

However it still lags far behind other cities in terms of its public toilets.

Of 206 complaints filed by tourists to Beijing Consumers' Association during the week-long National Day holiday, one fifth were about toilet problems.

There is a contradiction between the large number of tourists and the relatively small number of toilets. "The facilities and management of toilets should be in line with international standards," said Zhang Mao, vice-mayor of Beijing.

Within two years, there will be no complaints about toilets, Zhang predicted.

Experts believe the campaign to clean them up will help boost tourism and enhance Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

(China Daily 12/05/2000)