Lord Frederick Leighton Leighton Idyll painting

Lord Frederick Leighton Leighton Idyll painting
Steve Hanks Comfort in Solitude painting

Toilets play a big role in China's future. As the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing is trying to improve the state of its bathrooms. Bathroom experts from 15 countries are gathering for...
Bathroom experts from 15 countries are gathering in Beijing for the World Toilet Summit in the hope of making every trip to a public restroom a more pleasurable experience. Toilets play a big role in China's future. As the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing is trying to improve the state of its bathrooms. Most public toilets in Beijing are squat-style pits that scare the daylights out of Westerners. Visitors are warned to expect a lack of running water and to bring their own toilet paper. Now, just as world leaders gather to discuss acceptable levels of pollution, toilet experts are gathering to bridge cultural gaps and answer one of the most basic questions of the human condition: What is a clean and decent bathroom? The three-day conference begins on Nov. 17 and ends on Nov. 19, which has been called "World Toilet Day."