The facade of a "five-star" public toilet in Linfen, a city with rich historical sites in Shanxi province. Photos provided to China Daily

Foreign tourists can expect more and cleaner public toilets across China's many scenic spots, along with better stocks of soaps and paper. Yang Feiyue reports.

China will build new restrooms at scenic spots and improve existing ones nationwide beginning this year, in a bid to beef up tourism infrastructure, officials say.

A total of 33,500 modern public restrooms are likely to appear in tourist sites, transportation hubs and entertainment facilities in the next three years.

By 2017, the National Tourism Administration expects all such restrooms to meet its "three-star" standard that includes a toilet to be built on more than 60 square meters area, separate units for men and women and the availability of free toilet paper, among other requirements, the administration's officials add.

The toilets will be rated on the basis of the number of squatting pots, pedestal pans (standard Western toilet), public resting space and outer facilities.

The "three-star" toilet outside the north gate of the Forbidden City has seven squatting pots and one pedestal pan in the ladies' room, and each of the "four-star" ones inside the city has three pedestal pans and more than 10 squatting pots.