Squatting pan or toilet bowl? Perhaps, it's a cultural difference!

Squatting pan or toilet bowl? Perhaps, it's a cultural difference!
Nov 22, 2013 01:44
LONELYJOURNEY Points: Join Date: Oct 28, 2009 Status: offline	Most of the public toilets in China are equipped with squatting pans. For the handicapped people, the squatting pan is replaced with toilet bowl. As you know, the squatting pan is inconvenient for the handicapped. However, Chinese people prefer to equip toilet bowls in their own home. I don’t know why the public toilets just have squatting pans. Perhaps, the squatting pans can reduce the time people stay at the toilet. I guess there is another reason. It can prevent people suffering from piles too. You can sit on the toilet bowl as long as you wish but I guess that you can’t squat more than 20 minutes. If you really squat more than 30 minutes, your feet will be weary and stiff and you might feel dizzy too. However, squatting pans actually benefit people. At least, you needn’t worry about getting infected bacteria. Some foreigners who travel in China can’t get used to the squatting pans in the toilets. A German once joked that all Chinese people must have practiced Yoga. If not, how can they keep balance when squatting in the toilets? Just imagine how embarrassing it is for a man who never uses squatting pans before to take off his pants and squat steadily over the pan. He has to pull his trousers with one hand and another hand to catch the handle on the door. Therefore, he can keep balance very well and make sure that he won’t fall out of the tiny partition. When he squat steadily, he is still nervous because he doesn’t know if there are mosquitoes or flies that bite his ass. I don’t know since when China started to improve the public toilets. I read that foreign travelers always brought a piece of cloth when traveling in China a long time ago. What was it used for? The public toilets had partitions but no door was equipped to each partition. They used their cloth to create a private space. Still today, I can’t figure out if it was true. Although public toilets have been improved, foreigners still can’t get used to the public toilets. Each partition has a door. The floor is much cleaner. Wait, the odor is still there. Why? Chinese people don’t remember to flush the toilet. The most important thing is that you never forget to bring your own toilet paper if you don’t want to get yourself embarrassed. The public toilets used to provide the toilet paper but selfish people just take the toilet paper away. Therefore, no more free toilet paper is provided.

Nov 22, 2013 01:44

LONELYJOURNEY
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Join Date: Oct 28, 2009
Status: offline

Most of the public toilets in China are equipped with squatting pans. For the handicapped people, the squatting pan is replaced with toilet bowl. As you know, the squatting pan is inconvenient for the handicapped. However, Chinese people prefer to equip toilet bowls in their own home.

I don’t know why the public toilets just have squatting pans. Perhaps, the squatting pans can reduce the time people stay at the toilet. I guess there is another reason. It can prevent people suffering from piles too. You can sit on the toilet bowl as long as you wish but I guess that you can’t squat more than 20 minutes. If you really squat more than 30 minutes, your feet will be weary and stiff and you might feel dizzy too. However, squatting pans actually benefit people. At least, you needn’t worry about getting infected bacteria.

Some foreigners who travel in China can’t get used to the squatting pans in the toilets. A German once joked that all Chinese people must have practiced Yoga. If not, how can they keep balance when squatting in the toilets? Just imagine how embarrassing it is for a man who never uses squatting pans before to take off his pants and squat steadily over the pan. He has to pull his trousers with one hand and another hand to catch the handle on the door. Therefore, he can keep balance very well and make sure that he won’t fall out of the tiny partition. When he squat steadily, he is still nervous because he doesn’t know if there are mosquitoes or flies that bite his ass.

I don’t know since when China started to improve the public toilets. I read that foreign travelers always brought a piece of cloth when traveling in China a long time ago. What was it used for? The public toilets had partitions but no door was equipped to each partition. They used their cloth to create a private space. Still today, I can’t figure out if it was true.

Although public toilets have been improved, foreigners still can’t get used to the public toilets. Each partition has a door. The floor is much cleaner. Wait, the odor is still there. Why? Chinese people don’t remember to flush the toilet. The most important thing is that you never forget to bring your own toilet paper if you don’t want to get yourself embarrassed. The public toilets used to provide the toilet paper but selfish people just take the toilet paper away. Therefore, no more free toilet paper is provided.

Nov 22, 2013 01:45

LONELYJOURNEY
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Join Date: Oct 28, 2009
Status: Offline

Another scene foreigner might witness is that there is always a long queue in front of the women’s toilets. It’s said that China has more men than women in population and that many men might not find a wife in the future. But why do we always see girls queue up for the toilets? The planners build as many women’s toilets as men’s. If you observe the public toilets carefully, you will find out that the public toilets for women and men are usually built next to each other but separated.

The biggest mistake the planners have made is that they forget women need more time than men in the toilets. That’s why some pioneers in China launch a campaign “Occupy Men’s Toilets”. They aim to remind the city planners of building more toilets for women. Some big shopping malls have started to make changes. The toilets for men and women are built on different floors. Some city planners have realized their mistake. Therefore, unisex toilets appear in some cities too.

It’s said that women’s toilets are dirtier than men’s. Girls are afraid of using toilet bowls in public toilets because they are worried about getting infected with bacteria. Therefore, they keep a distance from the toilet seat cover. It’s like shooting a basket. It’s more difficult to shoot a 3 point shot than a 1 point shot. In fact, some girls have their own solution. They bring their own toilet seat covers.

Someone once said “the toilet to some extent can tell whether a country is developed or not.” I fully agree with him. The developed countries have clean and comfortable toilets. What about China? Its economy develops so fast. However, it has a long way to go to become a developed country. Perhaps, China will become a developed country when the public toilets become as clean and comfortable as those in the developed countries.

Nov 24, 2013 02:17

WANHU
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Join Date: Feb 20, 2007
Status: Offline

Squatting toilet is based from cultural as well as historical background, especially in Asia and the far east. Earlier, people use dug-out toilet which later was replaced by bucket where the night soil would be collected once in every two nights or so. These kind of toilets are suitable for squatting than sitting.

When people started to improve their toilets, they prefer the squatting toilets because by squatting the left thigh would be pressing the left stomach for better and easier excretion of faeces. Thus in Thailand, both personal and public toilets remain the squatting type minus the cisterns. The users would need to use the water manually. Gradually, older people, due to health reasons and perhaps obesity, they can no longer squat, where squatting toilets are replaced with the sitting ones, as we can find in hotels, etc.

In my house, we have both, squatting and sitting. For my bedroom I'd prefer toilet with seat as old age is catching up.

Wan

Nov 24, 2013 20:31	#3
LONELYJOURNEY Points: Join Date: Oct 28, 2009 Status: Offline	Wan, Why did you equip both squatting pan and toilet bowl? I read some diaries from the internet and saw people in Hunan prefer to equip both at home like you.

Nov 27, 2013 04:31	#4
WANHU Points: Join Date: Feb 20, 2007 Status: Offline	We give the options for people to choose. Wan

Nov 27, 2013 21:37	#5
LONELYJOURNEY Points: Join Date: Oct 28, 2009 Status: Offline	Wan, Which one is frequently used at your home, squatting pan or toilet bowl?

Nov 30, 2013 18:35	#6
WANHU Points: Join Date: Feb 20, 2007 Status: Offline	I think both. In guest room it's sitting but for common users, it's squatting. My bedroom is also sitting. It's for my future old age where I can no longer squat. Haha. Wan

Dec 9, 2013 21:42	#7
LONELYJOURNEY Points: Join Date: Oct 28, 2009 Status: Offline	Wow, you have a large apartment, Wan. Does it have two bedrooms, two toilets, a study room and a living room?

Jan 1, 2014 00:23	#8
GRIZ326 Points: Join Date: Jun 12, 2006 Status: Offline	As a hunter, I've been squatting for a long time. I prefer it to an "outhouse" or a "throne toilet." I considered installing a squat toilet when I built my home, but decided against it. It never occurred to me that I might marry a Chinese woman.

Jan 5, 2014 20:35	#9
GUEST6778	If you suffer from haemorrhoids, you'd better avoid toilet bowl. It's no good for you to sit too long in the bathroom.

Jan 10, 2014 19:35	#10
WANHU Points: Join Date: Feb 20, 2007 Status: Offline	For old age, it's better sitting than squatting bowl. Wan

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