A map of public toilets became a best-seller in the streets of Kunming City, southwest China, over the week-long May Day holiday.

The map, printed by a local survey and mapping institute at the request of tourists and locals alike, highlighted 325 public toilets in the city, all of which were within 20 meters from the city's main streets, said Wang Guiwu, head of the institute.

The map has also included a detailed schedule of inbound and outbound trains at Kunming Railway Station, and can be used as a road map for drivers as well because it has marked clearly all the major gas stations, parking lots, car washing services and repair centers in the city.

For the convenience of tourists the map also provides some important tips, such as what numbers they should dial to get travel related services or to lodge a complaint.

A salesman at a newsstand in downtown Kunming said the map sold well over the week-long holiday. "About 50 copies were sold each day over the past week," he said, giving his surname as Huang.

Dubbed "the city of spring", Kunming is capital of the southwestern Yunnan Province, which boasts hundreds of tourist attractions and a rich variety of tropical and subtropical plants.

In a bid to draw more tourists, the province has decided to build and renovate 1,000 public toilets close to its scenic spots from 2003 to 2006.
 
(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2004)