Are public toilets free in China?

Most municipal public toilets are free. A few inside attractions or older transport hubs charge ¥1 to ¥2, sometimes with an attendant. Malls and hotel lobbies are free.

Can I flush toilet paper?

In modern buildings like malls, airports, and newer hotels, generally yes. In older buildings, small restaurants, and historic districts, put paper in the bin beside the toilet. If you see a lidded bin next to the bowl, use it.

Where will I find Western-style seated toilets?

Malls, airports, high-speed rail stations, museums, and hotels usually have at least one seated stall. Accessible restrooms, marked with the wheelchair symbol, almost always have seats and grab bars.

Are smart bidet toilets common?

Common in four- and five-star hotel rooms, rare in public facilities elsewhere. If you find a control panel next to the toilet, the largest button is usually stop.

Are tampons easy to buy in China?

Selection is limited outside major cities and leans toward the o.b. brand, per traveler reports. Pads are sold everywhere. Bring your preferred products from home if you have a specific brand.

China Bathroom Survival Guide: Squat Toilets, TP & What to Always Carry (2026)

Before your first full day in China you will probably meet the country’s two most common restroom fixtures: a porcelain basin set flush into a concrete floor, and a small blue waste bin standing next to it. Neither works the way most Western travelers expect. Both make sense once you know the logic.

The authorities have spent a decade trying to standardize the experience. A national “toilet revolution” campaign began in 2015, and official figures reported by state media put the 2015-2017 total at roughly 68,000 tourist-area toilets built or renovated. A national standard, GB/T 18973, now grades tourist-area restrooms on a three-tier scale. Quality still varies sharply by venue, and that gap is what this guide manages.

The two facility styles

The squat unit (蹲便器, dūnbiànqì) is a porcelain basin flush with the floor, with textured footpads on either side and a raised curved hood at one end. There is no seat and no lid. The seated Western-style unit (坐便器) looks like what travelers from Europe or North America already know. Most public venues are squat-only or squat-dominant, with at most one seated stall set aside for people with mobility needs. International hotels, shopping malls, and newer transport hubs skew seated.

Squat units persist for practical reasons. Operators tend to consider them more hygienic because no skin touches a shared surface, and they are cheaper to install and faster to clean. Their presence is not a marker of a bad venue. Some well-regarded restaurants keep them by preference, and traveler reports from Japan and Korea describe the same fixture in older buildings there.

Using a squat toilet, step by step

Face the hood

The raised curved end normally points toward the door. Face it. Getting this backwards is the classic first-timer mistake.

Plant your feet flat

Put each foot on one of the textured footpads flanking the basin. Squat with your heels on the ground, not balanced on your tiptoes. Heels down is more stable and far less tiring.

Secure your belongings

Use the wall hook for bags if there is one, and keep your phone in a zipped pocket. Stall floors get wet, and there is rarely a shelf.

Use your own paper

Stalls rarely have a dispenser. Use the travel pack of tissues you carried in, before you discover you needed it.

Bin it, do not flush it

Drop used paper into the waste bin beside the toilet. In older buildings the plumbing clogs easily, which is why the bin exists. See the rule below for the exceptions.

One physical caveat. Squatting with heels flat is hard if you have knee, hip, or balance problems. Use the accessible restroom (无障碍卫生间, wúzhàng’ài wèishēngjiān) where one exists. It almost always has a seated toilet and grab bars. Major airports, newer metro lines, high-speed rail stations, and museums are the safest bets. Look for the wheelchair symbol on the door.

Public restroom in a Chinese city

Where to find a maintained facility

Conditions track the age and type of the building more than the city you are in.

Venue type	Seated toilet	Toilet paper	Soap and water	Typical condition
New shopping malls	Most stalls	Usually stocked	Yes	Cleaned through the day
International 4-5 star hotels	Standard	Yes	Yes	Reliable; traveler reports say lobby restrooms are open to walk-ins
Airports and high-speed rail stations	At least some stalls	Usually	Yes	Modern; look for a grade or star plaque
Graded tourist-area restrooms	Often one stall	Sometimes	Sometimes	Depends on the grade; attendants at higher grades
Museums and modern attractions	Mixed	Hit or miss	Usually	Bring your own paper
Older train stations	Rarely	Bring your own	Cold tap at best	Functional but basic
Rural sites and old town lanes	Squat only	None	Often none	Use your supplies and move on

Reading the ratings

Two official systems explain the plaques you will see on restroom walls.

Tourist-area toilet grades. The national standard GB/T 18973 divides tourist-area restrooms into three grades and sets requirements for each (fixtures, ventilation, cleaning, and at higher grades, attendant service). The current edition, GB/T 18973-2022, replaced the 2016 version; confirm the current text through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as of 2026-08. A top-grade restroom at a major park or scenic area is often cleaner than what you will find in a mid-range restaurant.

Scenic area tiers. China rates tourist attractions from 1A to 5A, and the 5A tier carries documented restroom requirements as part of the rating, administered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. A 5A site is a reasonable bet for a maintained facility.

Municipal star schemes. Separately, some cities run their own star programs (one to five stars) for street and park public toilets. Star-rated facilities traveler reports describe consistently have an attendant, soap, and paper, with at least one seated stall. These schemes are local rather than national, so treat stars as a bonus signal, not a guarantee.

The toilet-paper-in-the-bin rule

In many Chinese restrooms you put used paper in the bin next to the toilet, not in the bowl. Older buildings use narrower drain pipes that clog easily, and the bins are emptied regularly by cleaning staff.

In modern buildings (malls, airports, newer hotels) flushing paper is generally fine. The simple test: if there is a bin beside the toilet with a lid, use it. If you are unsure, bin it. A clogged toilet in a small restaurant creates a much bigger problem than a used bin.

Accessibility and the 2023 law

China’s Law on the Construction of Barrier-Free Environments was adopted in June 2023 and took effect on September 1, 2023, as reported by the Ministry of Justice. It requires barrier-free facilities, including restrooms, in newly built, renovated, and expanded public projects, and mandates gradual retrofitting of older ones. Verify the current text at the NPC National Laws and Regulations Database as of 2026-08.

In practice, buildings finished after roughly 2010 (newer metro lines, high-speed rail stations, airports, big museums) usually have accessible restrooms with grab bars and seated toilets. Historic temples, classical gardens, and old-town lanes often cannot retrofit without damaging protected structures, so plan bathroom stops around modern venues when sightseeing in old districts. Our wheelchair travel guide goes deeper on city-by-city accessibility.

What to always carry

A small kit in your day bag, assembled at any convenience store for around ¥30:

Toilet paper. A travel pack of tissues or a small roll. Do not count on finding any in public venues. This is the one non-negotiable item.
Hand sanitizer. Soap is available perhaps half the time in public restrooms. A 100 ml bottle is your backup.
Wet wipes. A small pack, for when the facility is worse than expected or the tap is dry.
A zip-lock bag. For used paper when there is no bin, or for carrying your own trash out of an overflowing one.

Pack these on day one. You will use them on day one.

Smart toilets and washlets

Japanese-style bidet seats (智能马桶, zhìnéng mǎtǒng) are common in four- and five-star hotels and some upper-mid-range chains. If the toilet in your hotel room has a control panel beside it, that is what you are looking at. Typical buttons cover rear wash, front wash, water pressure, water temperature, heated seat, and air dry.

Press buttons deliberately rather than experimentally. The largest button is usually “stop.”

Menstrual products

Pads (卫生巾) are available everywhere: supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies, in full brand range. Tampons (卫生棉条) exist in city stores but with limited selection, mostly the o.b. brand according to traveler reports. Menstrual cups are rare. If you rely on a specific brand or product, bring enough for the whole trip.

Quick answers

The short version

Carry paper and sanitizer. Prefer malls, hotels, and graded facilities when you can choose. Bin the paper where a bin stands next to the bowl. Feet flat, face the hood, and the squat toilet stops being an event at all.