10/20/2026
😂
Finally, somewhere you can get a personal best without going to the gym. 😂🚽⏱️
The Yungang Buddhist Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China's Shanxi province, is famous for its 51,000 ancient Buddhist statues carved into caves around 1,500 years ago.
But recently, visitors have been talking about something considerably less ancient.
The toilets.
The attraction has installed digital screens above individual cubicles that display exactly how long someone has been inside.
When a cubicle is vacant, the screen displays “Empty” in green.
But once someone enters and locks the door, a timer begins counting the minutes and seconds.
And everyone waiting outside can see it.
One visitor said the system was useful because people no longer needed to knock on doors to check whether a cubicle was occupied.
But she also admitted it felt slightly embarrassing, almost like being monitored.
Staff explained that the timers were introduced to help manage the growing number of tourists and identify potential medical emergencies if someone remained inside for an unusually long time.
They stressed that there is no time limit and nobody will be removed for taking too long.
Online reactions have been mixed.
Some people think the system could discourage visitors from spending ages scrolling on their phones.
Others have questioned whether installing more toilets might have been a simpler solution.
Either way, the Yungang Grottoes have managed to turn an ordinary bathroom visit into a public display of personal statistics.
Imagine coming out of the toilet after 23 minutes and everyone in the queue looking at you like you've just broken a world record. 😂🚽🏆