Shaolin Temple installs luxury restrooms

updated 12:19 p.m. ET April 8, 2008

BEIJING - The simple life of monks at China's famed Shaolin Temple got an upgrade with the installation of luxury restrooms worth 3 million yuan ($430,000 U.S. dollars), state media reported Tuesday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the most lavish of the restrooms measures more than 150 square meters (1,614 square feet) and is equipped with a diaper changing station for infants, uniformed cleaners and a foyer with an LCD television. The toilets also provide easy access for the disabled and have Braille signs for the blind.

The restrooms, which are free of charge for both monks and tourists, opened earlier this month, the report said.

"The toilets aim to better serve tourists from both home and abroad," Xinhua quoted local government official Zhang Zhongqiang as saying.

Established about 1,500 years ago, the Shaolin Temple, located in central China's Henan province, is famous for combining martial arts with Buddhism and is a popular tourist attraction.

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