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Toilet Index: what to expect from toilets abroad

China

Reviewed 11 Nov 2026

What to remember

  1. Toilet paperIn Shanghai, look for staffed public toilets: over 2,600 give free toilet paper, and some are piloting paper inside the stall.Varies by venueWhere this applies: Shanghai staffed public sanitation toilets (city bureau statements, December 2025 and April 2026)
  2. Toilet typeIf you need a seat, look for the accessible toilet. Beijing guidance says it should have a seated toilet, a basin and a call button.Where this applies: Beijing (Haidian District Disabled Persons' Federation guidance, page dated December 2019)
  3. FeesExpect no charge at railway stations, long-distance bus stations, passenger ports or airports: a 2001 national rule bans it, repeated for railways in 2018.Where this applies: Public toilets at railway stations, long-distance bus stations, passenger ports and civil airports

Sources: 上海市绿化和市容管理局 (Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau), 上海市绿化和市容管理局 (Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau), 北京市海淀区残疾人联合会 (Haidian District Disabled Persons' Federation, Beijing), 国家计委办公厅 (General Office of the State Planning Commission); copy hosted by the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, 国家铁路局 (National Railway Administration)

Sit or squat

Railway rules call for accessible toilets at stations and on trains, and disposable seat covers on seated toilets in higher-class waiting rooms and on trains.

Varies by venue

Where this applies: Railway passenger stations and trains (2018 national railway regulator measures)

Source: 国家铁路局 (National Railway Administration) · Reviewed 11 Nov 2026

If you need a seat: No source read here says what share of China's toilets are squat or seated, so no such claim is made. If you need a seat, look for the accessible toilet (无障碍卫生间) or, where one is signed, the third or family toilet (第三卫生间, 家庭卫生间). The Beijing and airport items above describe design guidance or specific venues, not a survey.

Accessible toilets: not covered yet.

Toilet paper

Paper supplied

Railway rules say toilet paper should be stocked in high-speed station waiting rooms, soft-seat-and-above waiting rooms at other stations, and on bullet trains.

Varies by venue

Where this applies: Railway passenger stations and trains (2018 national railway regulator measures)

Source: 国家铁路局 (National Railway Administration) · Reviewed 11 Nov 2026

Where it goes

Information unavailable

Water and controls

Railway rules say toilets in high-speed station waiting rooms should also have hand soap or washing liquid.

Varies by venue

Where this applies: High-speed and soft-seat-and-above waiting rooms at railway stations (2018 national railway regulator measures)

Source: 国家铁路局 (National Railway Administration) · Reviewed 11 Nov 2026

Fees and access

Expect no charge at railway stations, long-distance bus stations, passenger ports or airports: a 2001 national rule bans it, repeated for railways in 2018.

Where this applies: Public toilets at railway stations, long-distance bus stations, passenger ports and civil airports

Sources: 国家计委办公厅 (General Office of the State Planning Commission); copy hosted by the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, 国家铁路局 (National Railway Administration) · Reviewed 11 Nov 2026

Where it varies

In Beijing, toilets inside shops, sports, medical and transport buildings are open to the public in service hours, under the site's own rules.

Varies by venue

Where this applies: Beijing toilets in commercial, cultural, sports, medical and transport buildings (2008 city measures, republished 2021)

Source: 北京市人民政府 (Beijing Municipal People's Government) · Reviewed 11 Nov 2026

Sources

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