On the south side of Hankou Liberation Park in Wuhan, China, one can find a beautiful pavilion of glass and steel amid the trees and bamboo. There is an elevator leading down underground. Where does it go?
To a public toilet.
“Roughly 2 million yuan has been invested in the project, it is the largest and best and most humanised class of public toilets in Wuhan.” (October 3，Qianjiang Evening Paper)
This luxurious “humanized” public restroom was opened to the public at the beginning of 2008 October.
From NetEase, “[2 million RMB humanized public restroom] Built for who?“:
To ordinary Chinese people, the sole function of a public toilet is to provide a convenience for those who “need to be convenienced”. Because people come and go hastily, people usually do not care too much about the restroom’s level of luxury. A 10,000 to two million yuan toilet is of no matter to those who need to go urgently as long, as the toilet is clean and enables people to “finish the task”. According to officials of the Wuhan Sanitation Department Urban Management Bureau, “There used to be a public toilet in this location but it was torn down. Because the toilet would be too near to the park entrance, and to avoid spoiling the green scenery of the park, it was decided that the public toilet would be built underground. Roughly two million yuan has been invested in the project, it is the largest and best and most civilised class of public toilets in Wuhan.” Clearly, the reasons for building a 2 million yuan toilet are ever so grandiose.
…
But, coming back to the point, two million yuan for a municipal project and the local government is not considered a huge sum. We are not up in arms because Wuhan has built a two million yuan toilet, let alone criticising for the sake of doing so. We are up in arms because what they (the officials) have done is unrealistic and impractical; especially when there are those who are not well off. To waste the hard-earned money of the taxpayers is truly uncalled for. While homes in the city are built higher and higher, public toilets are increasingly scarce. Every person from the countryside who has been to the city has encountered difficulties when needing the toilet, it was difficult to find a toilet when they needed one urgently. If the government used the two million yuan to build dozens of ordinary toilets to provide the masses with a real place of “convenience”, or used the money to improve schools and education and other areas which need funding, many more people would benefit. Why are our public servants not working towards developments that are beneficial to the country and the people? Using the large sum of two million yuan to build a “respectable” public toilet, surely we cannot help but wonder for whom this construction of public toilets is for.
Comments on NetEase:
They have to build those before the officials can get their kickbacks. Duh.
Bastard officials.
I estimate that the cost of building the WC [restroom/toilet] is one million, and you can imagine where the other half went.
Maybe Wuhan is more rich! Even building a WC needs two million! How are the property prices there? Maybe the WC isn’t really a place for you to relieve yourself; it’s more for people to look at! The standard of living for the Chinese has only been raised a few years! The fundamental reason why China hasn’t become an economic superpower is because of these ZF‘s unreasonable ignorance! You could not build build a public library with this two million? Or fix a public road? Or build a primary school in the mountainous areas [where it is typically very poor]? Maybe there isn’t that much focus on the last three suggestions!!!
The more expensive something is, the more there can be embezzled. Where I study, there are places where people can’t even afford to buy salt. Society is backwards/reversed…
Fuck, who can believe that this toilet really cost two million, I think at least 150,000 was embezzled. The reason is simple, building this toilet can balance the accounts.
I would like to live longer, so I don’t dare discuss the decisions of the leadership.
These luxurious public toilets were built for the officials’ “face”, it’s not for the people to use.
Sick! A sick society!
Two million can enable 100 poor families to live with adequate food and clothing. It can build 2 new primary schools!
The poor can’t afford to use it, the rich will not use it.
Comments on Sina:
It seems like there have been quite a few ridiculous things to happen in Wuhan this year…
Seeing this really makes people sad. Too extravagant! Why not use the money for medical care, education, caring for the old or helping the poor? Have all these issues been taken care of? Or is it just to increase Wuhan’s popularity?
Is China still a developing country?
People in Wuhan have too much money, come to us in the Northwest and use that two million to build some primary schools. We still have so many students here who can’t afford to go to school. You guys take a poop and you still need a WC that’s as good as a restaurant, I really don’t know who planned this, and who paid for the construction, so terrible/lamentable!
Spend another two million to build a public toilet in the sky, that way there would be one in the sky and on the ground, then you guys would be considered “niu!”
Not expensive! Next time build the toilet in the air, let the whole world see it. Now THAT would be amazing.
Our country isn’t wealthy, the annual income per capita is only a few hundred yuan in some poor areas, spending two million to build a toilet, is the cost of shitting and pissing really that high?
Anyone who dares to say again that China has no money, I definitely will kill him!
First, let’s not say it is extravagant and wasteful. If they have the courage, let them bring out the details of the two million RMB used to build the public toilet, and let the public decide if it was worth it.
Strong support for Wuhan, it’s better than most places that spend money on limousines or use public funds to hold banquets. No matter how much the kickbacks are, at least the ordinary people can share a little of the material benefits.
It can change the lives of 200 poor children.
Only unfortunately…
Wuhan is so lousy; it would’ve been better to use the money to repair/recondition the buses.
Sigh, next time let us have some toilets in space. Whoever wants to use it reach it by helicopter. Rich people’s heaven.
In Wuhan, I do not care too much about how comfortable it is to squat, I only hope to walk and ride a bicycle very comfortably.
Lots of kickbacks huh? It’s great being an official. You can just use any reason to make money…
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