By Lethiwe Nhlangothi China’s Yungang Buddhist Grottoes has received over 3 million visitors since 2023 and is an extremely popular global tourist destination. However, it has recently received extra attention after a tourist sent a video to the local newspaper, Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, according to CNN. With so many tourists visiting this UNESCO-listed World Heritage site, the toilets are used regularly.
A video circulating on Chinese social media platforms and news sites shows digital timers above a row of toilet cubicles in a women's bathroom. Each cubicle displays the duration of time a person spends inside. When a cubicle is unoccupied the small LED display screen reads the word ‘empty’ in green, but if it’s in use it shows the number of minutes and seconds the person has been inside in red.
Your time is counted! Timers have been installed in the women's toilets in the Yungang Grottoes scenic area in Shanxi, China. It is said that this is a way to cope with the increasing number of visitors to the Yungang Grottoes and the fact that the toilets in the scenic area..
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com/TBs5htrLrQ The video has sparked some controversy and reactions on Chinese social media platform, Weibo. Some of Weibo’s users suggested that the timers would discourage visitors from spending excessive time on their phones in the toilet, while others questioned the necessity of this concept. A staff member at the heritage site assured Xiaoxiang Morning Herald that the timers were in.
