#AtoZChallenge in China: Squat Toilet

Today’s #AtoZChallenge in China features something many foreigners, mostly Westerners, find surprising, and at times shocking. But it’s merely a common part of living in many parts of the country. It’s the squat toilet, which many locals consider a “healthful” way of defecating.
First of all, let’s talk about squatting. While some people find it hard to squat (one Westerner told me he can’t do the posture with his feet flat on the ground; one Chinese meanwhile said she can’t squat with legs closed), it’s relatively a position common to a lot of things like sports and body building, training, arts and fashion, genuflecting, and body functions such as sex, urinating (for females). And yeah, of course defecating, but mostly outside the West.

On the internet, there are countless resources explaining the science behind squatting. It may be normal to see children doing this posture because they still have to strengthen their hips and thighs to stand erect, while athletes squat to be ready for action. So when squatting is a normal body posture, why is it a “big deal” for foreigners when it comes to toilets?
S is for Squat Toilet
Before we come to that, let’s have a rather sh*tty talk about why squatting is the preferred way for many Chinese when they defecate. I’m not trying to become an assh*le-masquerading-as-an-expert here but I have Chinese pengyou who believe squatting makes it easier for them to get down to business. Actually I tried it a lot of times too and I must say that it’s quite suave.
In an article by the The Daily Mail, Vincent Ho, a gastroenterologist from Western Sydney University, explains why squatting might be beneficial compared to sitting.
He claims that the lower part of the colon is slightly on a lesser acute angle in the squat position, hence less strain on several lower gastrointestinal muscles.
The article also reports the results of an Israeli and a Japanese study on doing the squat position while defecating. Both suggested that bowel motions when squatting are easier and faster. However, the article also explains that there are other factors that should be considered, such as “diet, exercise, medications and fluid intake, [which] can affect the frequency and consistency of bowel motions.”

So after all that’s been said, why is it that many from the West find squat toilets shocking? I have two points:

1. It’s yucky, it’s dirty. When most of us are used to do our thing sitting on a clean toilet bowl, simply seeing the sight of squat toilets, especially in communal restrooms across China, brings the freaky shit out of us. Can you just defecate on a stinky, muddy toilet? Even if your tummy’s angry and want to blow up, this sight might turn that away. And also, don’t forget that most Chinese communal toilets don’t have any tissue or even hand wash (and what are bidets, huh??) to clean up everything.
2. Simply we’re not used to it. Ok, I said that I tried squat defecating several times but sometimes if I urinate (haha this is TMI), it goes all over the place! And also, balancing is one thing, and when you rise from squatting you need to be careful and slow so as not to make your blood pressure shoot. The Daily Mail article mentioned that there have been reports of strokes during squatting and defecation. And also, some people can’t squat properly.

So there, now the question goes, “Why the hell do I need to squat during defecating?” It’s a matter of preference, I must say. There’s no harm in trying, especially when you’re visiting or living in China. But in any case, just don’t forget to bring wet wipes, a hand sanitizer, or tissues when you go to a public toilet in China — or else…
Thanks for reading! Next on #AtoZChallenge in China: we will travel from Beijing to Moscow via the Trans Siberian Railway, which turned 100 years old last year!
Featured photo from Sammy’s Generic Blog. Squatting woman photo taken by me. Squatting infographics from the Daily Mail.

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See more of my #AtoZChallenge: Chinese Adventure