© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Beijing Imposes 'Two-Fly' Rule For Public Restrooms

A worker cleans a public bathroom in Beijing. New rules require that public restrooms in the Chinese capital have no more than two flies in them.
Greg Baker
/
AP

Officials in Beijing have ruled that public restrooms in the Chinese capital can have no more than two flies in them at one time, the BBC reports.

New rules issued Monday by the Beijing Municipal Commission of City Administration and Environment also regulate ads within the bathrooms and state that no more than two pieces of trash can be left uncollected for more than a half-hour.

The rules apply to bathrooms in tourist spots such as parks, railway stations, supermarkets and malls.

The "two-fly rule" was instituted as a way to clean up the toilets, which are said to be notoriously filthy. According to China Daily, the rules are not compulsory and are intended only to improve sanitation.

It's unknown how the cleaner toilets will compare to Japan's "biggest public toilet in the world," which Mark wrote about earlier this month.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Stephanie Federico
Congress just eliminated federal funding for KCUR, but public radio is for the people.

Your support has always made KCUR's work possible — from reporting that keeps officials accountable, to storytelling to connects our community. Help ensure the future of local journalism.