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If that spicy something you had for lunch is mounting a minor revolt in your stomach as you walk near the southern square of the Shanghai Railway Station, don't panic. A new deluxe public toilet, complete with showers, will open there soon, and relief will only cost 1 yuan (US$12 cent).
The Zhabei District Public Sanitation Bureau is spending 4 million yuan (US$481,928) on the new facility, expecting "it will give visitors a good first impression of Shanghai."
The lavatory -- covering 270 square meters near a subway entrance -- will be outfitted with special stalls for the disabled, two separate shower rooms, four powder rooms and a special breast-feeding room for mothers, said Wang Jiaqi, an official with the bureau in charge of the project.
"Most of raw materials used in the new toilet, including the granite tiles on the ground, were imported from overseas. We hope it will reach the service level of star-rated hotels," said Wang.
Wang also said that no additional fee will be charged for taking a bath.
In addition to the new facility, there are five public bathrooms within the railway station area: three on the southern square and two on the northern square. They charge between 0.2 (US$ 2.5 cent) and 0.5 yuan(US$ 6 cent).
During weeklong holidays like National Day and Spring Festival, those toilets are filled with people due to demand from an increased number of passengers.
But space is now so limited that it would be tough to add new restrooms around the railway station, said Wang.
(eastday.com January 8, 2003)
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