2015年经济学人 高科技环卫 抄底竞价

（单词翻译）

High-tech¹ sanitation²

Race to the bottom

A rush to buy Japanese toilet-seats prompts soul-searching in China

JAPAN is often viewed with antipathy³ in China, but increasingly commerce is trumping⁴ contempt.

During the lunar new-year holiday in February, Chinese tourists thronged⁵ to Japan in record numbers.

Many came home lugging⁶ a high-end Japanese luxury: a heated toilet-seat complete with pulsating⁷ water jets,

deodorisers and even music to drown out less melodious⁸ tinklings.

In recent weeks the run on Japanese loos has been a topic of much debate among Chinese commentators⁹, revealing deep insecurities.

Chinese visitors bought more high-tech lavatory¹⁰ seats than almost any other Japanese product during the week-long break,

according to Hottolink, a Japanese consulting firm. Most popular was a new variety with hands-free lid opening, say staff at a branch in Tokyo of Bic Camera,

a consumer electronics store where Chinese shoppers are so numerous that signs advertise wares¹¹ in Chinese and assistants speak Mandarin¹².

These cost around 65,000 (540). Some bought several seats, including portable, battery-powered ones.

Relations between China and Japan have shown recent, tentative signs of warmth after a long chill.

But only three years ago demonstrators in several Chinese cities called for a boycott¹³ of Japanese goods in protest against Japan's stance in a still-festering dispute over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

Some Japanese companies responded by minimising or hiding their branding on products sold in China.

China's state-controlled media have found little comfort in the discovery that many Japanese loos are actually made-to-order in China,

a situation that is not confined to the water closet. Many Chinese consumers do not trust the reliability¹⁴ of such items sold at home—

and refuse to pay the often higher prices charged for export-standard goods.

The thorny¹⁵ issue was even raised during meetings this month of China's parliament and its advisory¹⁶ body.

The prime minister, Li Keqiang, chimed in, calling for Chinese firms to raise the quality of their own seats.

“At least that could save consumers the price of a plane ticket,” he said.

Relations between the two countries may become bogged¹⁷ down in yet another intractable rivalry¹⁸.