Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

One of life's most unpleasant experiences might be doing your business in a public toilet, excepting those located in luxury hotels. For many foreigners visiting China, squat toilets can be a nightmare, especially those that are poorly maintained and in underdeveloped regions. The squat toilet is among the most common cultural shocks encountered by many foreigners.

Of course, "doing your business" is an important issue and matters to everyone. To better solve the public toilet problem, China's tourism administration launched a "toilet revolution" in 2015, aimed at building new restrooms and renovating and modernizing the old ones.

As a Chinese, I would like to suggest building more squat toilets in public lavatories rather than Western ones. Certainly, there should also be a couple for the elderly or pregnant women to use.

I visited a beautiful wetland park in north Beijing the other day. It was newly opened to the public, and I was very satisfied with its small public lavatory. It was a stand-alone structure that housed four independent stalls, each equipped with a flushable squat toilet and a washbasin. The space was not big, but proper maintenance was in place, so no putrid smell emanated from the toilets.

Personally, I find using a squat toilet more convenient and healthy. Using Western toilets can be a chore sometimes.

First, we have to check whether the toilet seat is clean. Unfortunately, most of the time it is dirty, and we have to use tissue to clean or cover it. Second, we have to throw some tissue into the toilet to ensure that no water splashes out when we use it because the water reserved for toilets may contain various harmful bacteria. If the sanitary condition of the toilet is too bad, we then have to find a way to pee without sitting on the toilet seat! 

Therefore, the first reason I stand for installing squat toilets in public areas is personal hygiene. Squat toilets help avoid unnecessary contact with public surfaces, which can lead to the transmission of viruses. Such concerns not only exist in China but also in Western countries.

The second reason relates to bowel movement. Squatting places stronger pressure on your bowels and leads to a less strenuous defecating experience.

I found an interesting toilet aid called a "squatty potty" on both taobao.com and amazon.com.

Made in the US, the squatty potty, according to its product description, "is proven to improve colon health and will improve symptoms of hemorrhoids, constipation, and bloating."

It's very creative. But the squatty potty is only suitable for home and family use and cannot be applied to public toilets.

The third reason, squatting can save time.

Today, a lot of people are used to bringing their smartphones or tablets with them to the bathroom. Sometimes sitting and playing on one's phone can distract you from doing your business, thus making you spend a longer time in the toilet.

Nevertheless, I agree that for home use, a Western toilet is more comfortable and artistic.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.