Talk About Pissing on Religion: China Unveils World's Largest Bathroom

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=0d650ffe-1ec7-4395-883b-24e806d21a65&type=website"></script><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1fjeCZe5S9CK4rAaHODRpt4MSOzXnjYodO7-MYIL48iYCDW_CfGT8vcQfXTnrs9QWsuvLMR0dT_cjAZ8_ypHahFtpXhj_UYXoOXH8xoJMZu9gsQx24qDLYwnvhKC0gQbYcYEqFJx3meX/s1600-h/2004-03-25--Prayer_Urinal.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093805215775098274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1fjeCZe5S9CK4rAaHODRpt4MSOzXnjYodO7-MYIL48iYCDW_CfGT8vcQfXTnrs9QWsuvLMR0dT_cjAZ8_ypHahFtpXhj_UYXoOXH8xoJMZu9gsQx24qDLYwnvhKC0gQbYcYEqFJx3meX/s400/2004-03-25--Prayer_Urinal.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 533px; height: 399px;" /></a><br /><i>above: Virgin Mary Themed Urinals</i><br /><br />Anyone who has traveled to the Middle Kingdom would agree that the country's public restroom facilities leave a lot to be desired. Well, in Chongqing, a city of 31 million people in south-central China, they've had enough. Not content with the rudimentary squat units found everywhere in China, the city has pursued some innovative ideas that are meant to make the experience not just easier, but a little more fun.<br /><br />First came round, open air urinals on the city's infamous "Foreigners Street," featuring tiny waist screens that left little to the imaginations of passers-by (below):<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGZ9yT8HdqUEmjcNkLi8lU6_9sfiIipd6xethiilkDNDZNo_2Nei01AHmkKei3KB2jACLr-yzguFvlBd4GzTaYBbIDXM8WKjF4BEwB34-6NamoFPJJolDQaG-bEvMihMz-BxBpX89J-Ld/s1600-h/070710_toilets_0.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093803514968049026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGZ9yT8HdqUEmjcNkLi8lU6_9sfiIipd6xethiilkDNDZNo_2Nei01AHmkKei3KB2jACLr-yzguFvlBd4GzTaYBbIDXM8WKjF4BEwB34-6NamoFPJJolDQaG-bEvMihMz-BxBpX89J-Ld/s400/070710_toilets_0.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 626px;" /></a><br /><br />Then came news of outdoor sinks, pictured below, that made the hand-washing experience, um, different.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wQkCIjPIFhd-OdukwmG7UaZvz4Psc91na2uux1kSIiU_ERGjEANDrQTfkOU-HYuxXs_Jcf33a3Qvf41AVj0w-cn9rQbIA6YgoBtIrRbEeacZ8k60WasK5xc5mU3UbWpl-6DCWHXX0sMc/s1600-h/070710_toilets1_0.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093803411888833906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wQkCIjPIFhd-OdukwmG7UaZvz4Psc91na2uux1kSIiU_ERGjEANDrQTfkOU-HYuxXs_Jcf33a3Qvf41AVj0w-cn9rQbIA6YgoBtIrRbEeacZ8k60WasK5xc5mU3UbWpl-6DCWHXX0sMc/s400/070710_toilets1_0.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 533px; height: 703px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIx4dSY3hF7w-ESp7lRWO-3BKNjl6TB3DhVQakvaMnLycBZ9a3sU3ujIZfcJFBx_pFB9oA5C2Epmz3Eu42iG1-_qKEcTx3Ir22DC5p1eCggEmInU9iqrBu_JWcAuyP3F30XmRcnEPC269/s1600-h/070710_toilets2_0.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093803579392558482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIx4dSY3hF7w-ESp7lRWO-3BKNjl6TB3DhVQakvaMnLycBZ9a3sU3ujIZfcJFBx_pFB9oA5C2Epmz3Eu42iG1-_qKEcTx3Ir22DC5p1eCggEmInU9iqrBu_JWcAuyP3F30XmRcnEPC269/s400/070710_toilets2_0.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 365px;" /></a><br /><br />Now comes news that the city has opened the world's largest restroom. The four-story, 1,000-stall facility features TVs, a soothing soundtrack piped throughout, crocodile- and Virgin Mary-themed urinals, and stalls with no roofs for those who prefer to relieve themselves al fresco. Says a local government official:<br /><br /><i>"We are spreading toilet culture.... After they use the bathroom [people] will be very, very happy." </i><br /><br />You can't argue with that. <br><br>

Talk About Pissing on Religion: China Unveils World's Largest Bathroom

above: Virgin Mary Themed Urinals Anyone who has traveled to the Middle Kingdom would agree that the country's public restroom facilitie...

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Funky Find of The Week

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kdUsojYHQEflfI4t1DPEUadoHVOzTnJ_7S_UN2zEUP3d_3E4CYhlptm5C4ajEIDzATcnJjOwEYBQ_754LOf-WXE3Mxy0PHK4dxdxmWES9dmC5HfdbhcmEHxWP9QCHPwlTv0U_0VFP3og/s1600-h/easter+lily.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029843142468135682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kdUsojYHQEflfI4t1DPEUadoHVOzTnJ_7S_UN2zEUP3d_3E4CYhlptm5C4ajEIDzATcnJjOwEYBQ_754LOf-WXE3Mxy0PHK4dxdxmWES9dmC5HfdbhcmEHxWP9QCHPwlTv0U_0VFP3og/s320/easter+lily.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 254px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3MNRwU-3ioQ8aqiJXhTzIdeTjCvKy5WUxkAR8zQelFVXDWe-dYbwwCF8i8xehW_KoFcIt6XSuC5NcqgnOlaxUiSWv87JvgJrMgOY2TmNDJqHkgMeHkVbBVdLskvHUsP7p2xz_vwRsfwp/s1600-h/Easter+Lily+flush.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029840050091682466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3MNRwU-3ioQ8aqiJXhTzIdeTjCvKy5WUxkAR8zQelFVXDWe-dYbwwCF8i8xehW_KoFcIt6XSuC5NcqgnOlaxUiSWv87JvgJrMgOY2TmNDJqHkgMeHkVbBVdLskvHUsP7p2xz_vwRsfwp/s400/Easter+Lily+flush.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 159px;" /></a><br /><i>The Easter Lily, left. Close up of flush, right</i><br /><p>I once knew a guy who used to say that all well mannered men knew to "shake the dew off of their lily" once they had relieved themselves.<br />But to shake the dew into a lily?<br /></p><p>That's what Chris Sorenson has made possible with his sculptural, but fully functional urinals.<br /></p><p>Each is meticulously hand built and one of a kind - formed from high fire porcelain and fired to cone 10 (2300° F). These pieces are magnificent works of art but they are also fully functioning vitreous porcelain fixtures that can be plumbed and used in a bathroom. They are made of the same material as a commercial toilet but the similarity stops there. Clark hopes that his sculptures can be exhibited as art and installed as urinals in galleries and bathrooms around the world.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb35usxkmkyKvk5ngsKN58rwOlkLpqt85BMhqBBO3yU9BmdNs4LDNlaGuoHw-krmqH-kUQMoFbu7M4DwqsLYJuJp39tDo4WiSPLbjHsodxgwHjChBODhcYS2iPbCY6bpkur9mnl80cKMYH/s1600-h/cal+poppy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029842326424349378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb35usxkmkyKvk5ngsKN58rwOlkLpqt85BMhqBBO3yU9BmdNs4LDNlaGuoHw-krmqH-kUQMoFbu7M4DwqsLYJuJp39tDo4WiSPLbjHsodxgwHjChBODhcYS2iPbCY6bpkur9mnl80cKMYH/s320/cal+poppy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 252px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAnEulMaWVM4beXQC3gmFysPi0XMSm8Sd4HY27NSMS_vq36V0QNeCRssQIJmQahc8NZqIIGr0CgzdQHrq_738v3gasFoiFNM6SvKhmuAXZ9CYmQCfZKCxTHQM_EaZp5mn7XsOVxt3wJAm/s1600-h/daffodil.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029842528287812306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAnEulMaWVM4beXQC3gmFysPi0XMSm8Sd4HY27NSMS_vq36V0QNeCRssQIJmQahc8NZqIIGr0CgzdQHrq_738v3gasFoiFNM6SvKhmuAXZ9CYmQCfZKCxTHQM_EaZp5mn7XsOVxt3wJAm/s320/daffodil.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 256px;" /></a></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjBa_hPR9-WsYvq0KYR9ic3Z8aIEMMeFMlps8mlNh0gbqLXTcNB_yMIaBNMQuzwvymM2fTBZ5S6V4kRJOkVlt9QwPyRuHvBaIB8e2-mrn5RGN4zlxbhZlQEM1e-6NtFM9qSlOSZYn9c28/s1600-h/pink+n+green+orchid.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029842768805980898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjBa_hPR9-WsYvq0KYR9ic3Z8aIEMMeFMlps8mlNh0gbqLXTcNB_yMIaBNMQuzwvymM2fTBZ5S6V4kRJOkVlt9QwPyRuHvBaIB8e2-mrn5RGN4zlxbhZlQEM1e-6NtFM9qSlOSZYn9c28/s320/pink+n+green+orchid.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8LDztOSZayYiForVlqJjD4q5PdRD4ask_oEyFgdDDBPbywQ4hOB3Z54VbTX1njH_eWAO4ZD5DePG57flQLEbORlK96AGYBXT0TkxYBRo7JyIfulogU2-kEioguhKnuSimdkIR6vIOgvG/s1600-h/shell+side.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029842970669443826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8LDztOSZayYiForVlqJjD4q5PdRD4ask_oEyFgdDDBPbywQ4hOB3Z54VbTX1njH_eWAO4ZD5DePG57flQLEbORlK96AGYBXT0TkxYBRo7JyIfulogU2-kEioguhKnuSimdkIR6vIOgvG/s320/shell+side.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></a></p><p>Most above are available for purchase. Prices start at $6500.</p><p><a href="http://www.clarkmade.com/urinals.html">Click here to see more or to purchase.</a><br /></p>

Funky Find of The Week

The Easter Lily, left. Close up of flush, right I once knew a guy who used to say that all well mannered men knew to "shake the dew off...

Read more »