The Surprising Reason Many Toilets In China Don't Have Seats

We all know what to expect when heading to the toilet, right? There's a little white seat with a lid and a horseshoe-shaped ring that you can lift up. There's a rectangular bowl in the back that fills with water, a little handle to push, or maybe a cord to pull. And of course, there are stalls separated by walls and doors. Easy, right? Well, what do you do if you walk into a bathroom and there's just a hole in the ground surrounded by a shallow bowl? If you're thinking that you're just supposed to drop trou and do a hover squat, well ... yes. 

Folks who live in or have visited various countries in Asia are probably familiar with squat toilets. While we're focusing on China, squat toilets aren't uncommon worldwide, especially in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Korea, and Japan — the land of heated and music-playing washlets and architect-designed public toilets in Tokyo tourist hotspots like Shibuya. All of these places have Western-style toilets as well, but squatting toilets are more traditional.

Contrary to what the reader might think, squat toilets are actually cleaner overall because there's less surface-to-surface contact between users. The toilets are going to be tough to use while wearing modern, conventional clothing, as you don't want anything brushing the inside of the bowl. You also should practice your squat before traveling to avoid sitting on it. Besides such obvious points, there are a couple more quirks worth mentioning for your next visit to China.

Similar to Italy's seatless toilets, squat toilets are sure to provoke lots of confusion the first time you come across them. Except for the bottom of your shoes, there's no reason that any part of you has to touch any part of the squat toilet or toilet room, unless you mess up. Your butt doesn't even touch anything because you don't sit down. This makes squat toilets fundamentally cleaner than Western-style toilets, provided you can pop a proper squat and have the quad strength to hover in place.

As for squat toilet usage in China, start by facing the door; this will help you from toppling over, if nothing else. In a room with a bunch of toilets, there will likely be walls and guards, but if there aren't, oh well — everyone is used to it, and no one cares about your business. We advise not worrying about your modesty when using a squat toilet since we've all got to use the bathroom, no matter where we're from. Also, sometimes plumbing in older buildings isn't up to snuff, and there's a basket next to the toilet for toilet paper. You put the used toilet paper in there rather than flushing it down the drain. You can make the same mistake when using toilets on certain Greek islands, as well, so make sure to do your bathroom research before traveling.