Terracotta Warriors' hometown will join 'toilet revolution'

[Photo by Lan Zitao/Asianewsphoto]

Xi'an, home to the famed Terracotta Warriors, has launched a citywide campaign to clean up its public toilets for a more pleasant experience for locals and tourists.

The capital of Shaanxi province has set up a leading group to steer the work and appointed "toilet chiefs", neighborhood office employees tasked with regularly checking facilities, according to the city tourism administration.

If a restroom at a tourism spot or attraction does not make the grade, the officials responsible for sanitation, including those at district level, will fail their annual work assessment, said Zhang Yongke, director of the administration.

The move is part of China's "toilet revolution", launched in January 2015, which aims to ensure cleaner public restrooms in scenic spots as well as equip them with Western-style toilets, soap and even amenities like big-screen televisions, free Wi-Fi, ATMs and sofas.

According to the China National Tourism Administration, some 100,000 public toilets will be built or renovated nationally between 2016 and 2020.

Li Jinzao, the agency's director, said that a dirty toilet destroys the efforts of all kinds of tourist resort promotions and the negative impression is hard to erase.