KUALA LUMPUR: A popular Unesco World Heritage site in China now has timers installed in the restrooms to display the duration each toilet cubicle has been occupied.
The site, known as the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi Province, renowned for its 252 caves and 51,000 Buddha statues, has attracted attention for its digitised restrooms.
The installation of timers, however, has been criticised by citizens who argued they are intended to limit restroom use.
A video circulated on Chinese social media and news websites shows digital timers above a row of toilets in a women's washroom, each displaying the length of time the door has been shut, indicating usage.
A staff member at the caves told the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, a state-run local newspaper, that the timers were installed to manage the increase in visitors and improve restroom management, not to monitor time spent in the toilets.
"They aren't there to control how long you can use the bathrooms.
"It's impossible that we would kick someone out midway. We aren't setting a time limit like five or ten minutes for toilet use," the staff member was quoted as saying.
A visitor to the historical site told the newspaper they found the timers 'a little embarrassing', according to CNN.
"I found it quite advanced technologically, so you don't have to queue outside or knock on a bathroom door.
"But I also found it a little bit embarrassing. It felt like I was being monitored," the visitor said.
Another staff member told the Nanchang Evening News that the timers have been in use since May 1 this year to ensure the well-being of all guests in case some guests use the toilet for an extended period and an emergency occurs.
Many people have also taken to social media to question the necessity of timers at a tourist site, suggesting the money could have been better spent on building more toilets.
"A tourist site isn't an office. Who would spend their time in the toilets? Is it really necessary?" asked one Weibo user.
"Your time is counted!" said another.
"Why don't they spend money building more washrooms?" another said.
In 2023, more than three million tourists visited the Yungang Buddhist Grottoes, one of the major attractions in northern China.
The Grottoes represent a significant achievement of Buddhist cave art in China during the 5th and 6th centuries.
However, this is not the first instance in China where people have been outraged by the policing of bathroom breaks.
In 2020, a tech firm faced backlash on social media for installing digital timers above toilet cubicles at an office in Beijing.