Shanghai has sought to reassure visitors to next year's World Expo that they can expect relief from the city's sometimes foul public toilets. The city will clean up and renovate more than 5,200 public toilets to meet an expected 70 million Expo visitors' "urgent needs," according to Ma Yun'an, head of the city's urban management bureau.
More than 500 new free toilets will also be installed before the five-month event starts on May 1, 2010, Ma said in an interview Monday on Shanghai state radio. "To offer free public toilets is only part of the whole work. It is also important to improve the service," Ma was quoted as saying by the China Daily newspaper Tuesday. "Some of the toilets will offer medicine and sewing kits."
More than 300 of the new toilets will be built around the Expo site and they will be supplemented by "mobile public toilets," he said. Ma spoke about the issue during a wide-ranging interview about public works projects in preparation for the Expo, which has a slogan of "Better city, better life."
The interviewer mentioned public debate about the poor state of the public toilets outside Shanghai's railway station. Those toilets, which cost one yuan (15 cents) to use, could earn 100 million yuan a year - if they were better maintained - according to the interviewer.
Chinese toilets have endured a poor reputation among foreigners for many years. Foul smells, a lack of toilet paper, failures to flush, and having to squat rather than sit on a seat, are some of the common complaints. Authorities in Beijing carried out a similar toilet campaign ahead of last year's Beijing Olympics. The stated goal of the Olympic effort was to make every public toilet a "pleasant experience."
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