No Contest

Hong Kong's public washrooms have improved a great deal since 1997.

Many are now equipped with toilet paper, proper hand-washing facilities, and several are even dressed up with tasteful floral arrangements.

Some still need work, however.

When Hong Kong's 18 district councils were asked to enter their toilets for a city-wide cleanliness contest, Wan Chai, Yau Tsim Mong [condensed from the three districts of Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok - ed.], Kwun Tong and Yuen Long did not even bother.

Some of the public washrooms in those zones remain, for want of a better word, heinous.

Then again, compared with restrooms in mainland China, the heinous toilets are pristine. It's a matter of perspective.

The other 14 district councils, however, submitted 28 toilets for the contest ... part of a campaign that aims to praise well-managed toilets and the hard work of their frontline cleaning staff, not to mention reminding the public about hygiene.

Those submitted include toilets renowned for their cleanliness, such as the ones in the Star Ferry car park in Central, Yee Kuk Street in Shamshuipo, Repulse Bay and Ngong Ping Road on Lantau Island.

Tourists take note.

To be fair, I've yet to encounter a Hong Kong public washroom as huge a nightmare as the "Worst Toilet in Scotland", as seen in the film Trainspotting.

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