upvote

points

by pyreko7 hours ago |
comments
upvoteby qurren7 hours ago|
next
[-]
> _really_ depends on where you are

That kinda applies to anywhere in the world. On the average, I've seen much cleaner toilets in first-tier China cities than first-tier US cities.

And much more accessible as well. Free public toilets literally everywhere. All over the city, in every shopping center, in every coffee shop. And you don't need to buy a coffee and trash it to use them.

reply
upvoteby vehemenz3 hours ago|
parent|
next
[-]
Small nitpicky correction, but in China, city tiers are designated by policy and generally correlate to the quality of life for the middle class there. The US doesn't have a tier system. If it did, it wouldn't make much sense because the quality of life in American suburbs and exurbs is generally better than the most developed cities (unless you're rich, of course).

Free, clean toilets are everywhere in America, just not in the dense city centers (walkable, transit-oriented, mid-rise or higher) that people tend to visit on vacation. I'd estimate only 10-15% of Americans live in these city centers, whereas in China it's probably closer to 50%. With the raw numbers, this difference shouldn't be underestimated.

reply
upvoteby qurren2 hours ago|
parent|
[-]
> not in the dense city centers

aka exactly the place people need them regardless of which country

In the boonies it's much more acceptable to go in the bush in either country as well

reply
upvoteby ajmurmann7 minutes ago|
parent|
[-]
As much as a dislike the suburbs, they aren't "the boonies" and it won't be acceptable at all to go in the bush there.
reply
upvoteby ux2664787 hours ago|
parent|
prev|
next
[-]
> I've seen much cleaner toilets in first-tier China cities than first-tier US cities.

That definitely tracks. LA has a massive unhoused person issue, many of whom with severe mental disorders. You feel a lot that in the commons, especially as you get near DTLA. New York is shabby and dirty in general. More so than a big city usually is. And it's not really a charming shabbiness from an extreme subtropical climate as you get in Taiwan.

The relationship China has with its tier 1 cities is more similar to other Asian countries, like Japan and Korea, than it is to the US.

reply
upvoteby boelboel4 hours ago|
parent|
prev|
[-]
Chinese first tier cities aren't accessible, you can't even live there as a country bumpkin.
reply
upvoteby qurren2 hours ago|
parent|
next
[-]
There are multiple forms of "accessible". For someone impaired and unable to drive, the Chinese cities win hands-down because transportation is a non-issue.
reply
upvoteby vehemenz3 hours ago|
parent|
prev|
[-]
The hukou reforms in May were a good first step, but for now, you're right.
reply
upvoteby seanmcdirmid7 hours ago|
prev|
[-]
The worst toilet I ever saw was in China, but at 5000 meters in Sichuan, it was two slippery two by fours that you had to straddle on over a big open pit (don't slip or lose balance!).

That was such an awesome trip circa 2005.

reply
upvoteby handle5841 hours ago|
parent|
next
[-]
> 5000 meters in Sichuan

Pretty sure you were in Tibetan areas at those altitudes, a large part of Sichuan is actually Tibetan.

reply
upvoteby prmph7 hours ago|
parent|
prev|
[-]
Well the worst one I ever saw was in New York City, of all places.
reply
upvoteby Spooky237 hours ago|
parent|
[-]
My favorite was a place in Chinatown with a curtain for privacy. Outside a couple of guys where killing a seemingly limitless collection of lives chickens.
reply