I guess I have to reset my thinking....I visited there 20 years ago and toured the major cities along the coast of he China Sea....at that time we weren't allowed to go anywhere without a guide. I can say that the public sanitary facilities were very poor by our standards and usually consisted of a hole in the floor, this included the restrooms in the airport.. I did notice that little toddlers wore a kinda jump suit that was not closed in the crotch so when they had to go they just let it loose in the street....at the time I figured that was better than crappy diapers all over the streets. We were on a cruise and would get off the ship and tour the different cities...the women in our group soon began the practice of holding themselves until we got back to the ship in late afternoon.... One of our Chinese tour guides jokingly said that "western women have no knees"...
Here's a copy of an excellent letter in the link you posted which is an authoritative description of what sanitation is like in modern China :
" Amanda Hsin, Researcher, Teacher
Mar 21, 2012
I live in Beijing and it happens all the time. Young and old alike, will go to the bathroom on the street or in public areas. It is more uncommon in the adult population, but I have seen people over the age of 60 (men and women, both) drop their trousers on public streets, most often behind a bus stop...
Regarding the children: I would add that this seems slightly more common these days in migrant families living in the big cities, especially now that there are plenty of public toilets of reasonable quality all over the city. Some of the people who consider themselves "natives of Beijing" do not appreciate the practice and consider it rather "uncivilized"--their words. Most of the people who voice opinions like this are really well off financially. Another subset of the population, especially those that live in middle class block-style apartments or in the more traditional 'pingfang' (one-story houses), see nothing wrong with it. It saves water, expensive in Beijing, as there's less toilet flushing. It's convenient for younger children who don't have great bladder control, even after they have finished potty-training.
Another perspective, and this comes from my husband, a Beijing boy through and through: It's unsanitary, but the problem is that there are many people that think the pee of children isn't a dirty thing. Some people think it's a kind of Chinese medicine. There's a lot to be said for the cultural definitions of sanitary and unsanitary and how they influence public conduct in China." |
