Toilets:

The two words all Chinese know are “bye-bye” and “WC”. So you’ll have no problem asking for the toilet. It is fair to say that Chinese toilets are probably one of the most unpleasant aspects of your visit. You may not experience it in Beijing and Shanghai but you may find rather unpleasant public toilets throughout the rest of the country. Usually, there is a very small charge for public toilets. Many public conveniences are of either the ‘hole in the ground’ variety or an unsightly (partitioned) central gutter. Then there are usually cubicles with often unlockable doors, or at basic, tiled low walls for onlyslightprivacy. It’s quite common to stroll in, smell the deadly air, and find a line of squatting customers all busy on their phones during mid-business and in full view. You can always wash your hands though and toilet paper is on request from the attendant. Toilets are easy to find with ‘male’ (Nan) signs showing a kind of masculine ‘square’ character and the ‘female’ (Nu) Chinese character has a sort of cross on it, somewhat resembling elegance. These characters, or pictures rather, make it easy to rememberwhich is which and avoid a possibly embarrassing situation!

Nan (man): Nu (woman):