Public Restrooms in China: What First-Time Visitors Need to Know About Squats, Tissues, and Plumbing (2026)

Carry tissues, hand sanitizer, and a small coin pouch. Most Chinese public restrooms have improved since the 2015 Toilet Revolution, but rural and tourist-site facilities still skew squat-style and rarely stock toilet paper or soap. Mall and 5-star hotel restrooms run Western-style with all supplies — duck into a Starbucks or shopping mall when in doubt. Free is now standard in tier-1 cities; older park or rural facilities sometimes charge ¥0.5–1, payable in cash. Plumbing matters: pipes are narrow, so used paper goes in the bin beside the toilet, not in the bowl. Squat toilets work — face the hood, plant feet on the ridges, and keep your phone in a zipped front pocket. Hand drying is rare; an absorbent travel towel beats waiting for a hand dryer that may not exist. Apple Maps and Amap both flag public 卫生间 (washrooms) at metro stations and parks. Disabled-access stalls are reliable in airports, high-speed rail stations, and big malls; less so elsewhere. The most common adjustment is psychological — squat toilets are clean by usage but unfamiliar.