China's capital is getting new stadiums, new subways and new greenery.

Now, with preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics well underway, attention is turning to a less grand but no less important bit of infrastructure: the state of the city's toilets.

China, flushed with pride over its booming economy and successful Olympic bid, will add another feather to its cap when it plays host to the fourth annual World Toilet Summit, to kick off later this month. "We are quickening the pace of toilet construction and the international conference is being held at a time China has already realized unprecedented achievements," Yu Debin, deputy director of Beijing's Bureau of Tourism told reporters on Friday.

Beijing is known for its imperial parks and ancient temples, but along with sites like the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace the city's toilets have gained notoriety in their own right, known more for stink than sanitation.

Most of China's public toilets are squat-style pits with no running water, toilet paper or hand washing facilities.

Officials aim to use the summit to help change that, with workshops on such topics as "Toilet Management and Hygiene," "Energy-Saving Measures" and "The Humanized Toilet."

But the delegates -- from more than 15 countries -- will also be invited to leave the conference room and do a little fieldwork of their own, with a full afternoon's tour of the city's toilets and related facilities.

Beijing spent 40 million yuan (US$4.83 million) between 1987 and 2000 turning toilets at scenic spots from cesspools to star-rated, tourism officials have said.

Not to be outdone, nearby Tianjin municipality has launched a "Toilet Renovation Project," state media reported, which will aim to renovate one million local latrines and bring flushing, indoor comfort to rural residents.

But despite offers of subsidies, officials said it would not be easy to persuade villagers, who associate latrines with stink and filth that should not be allowed inside their houses.

The city has allocated 5 million yuan for the project to transform latrine pits which are often no more than a trough running to a storage pit or courtyard corner, the report said.

(China Daily November 6, 2004)