Toilet revolution improves health

Guideline released by eight departments urges stronger fiscal support for sanitation campaign

Getting up from a new toilet, Xu Meixiang simply pushed a button to flush everything in the bowl down the drain. The tank then refilled with fresh water for the next user.

While that is an everyday scene for urban residents, it was of novelty in 49-year-old Xu's home village of Dahuaping in Huoshan county, Anhui province, a few months ago after its toilets were rebuilt or renovated to include such sanitary devices. The new toilet was built with the aid of government subsidies to free Xu's family from mosquito bites in summer and frozen bottoms in winter.