Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
For Henry Hung Chi-kuen, toilets are not only how he earns his living but also something of an obsession.
“Wherever I go, the first place I go is the public toilet,” he said enthusiastically. He also enjoys buying toilet-themed souvenirs from different countries, proudly displaying them behind his desk.
Hung, who is approaching 80, is a veteran of Hong Kong’s plumbing and drainage industry with more than 60 years of experience.
He is often called “Dr Toilet”. This is because Hung is a founding member and president of the Hong Kong Toilet Association. The charitable non-profit organisation advocates for a clean, accessible and safe toilet environment.
It is perhaps best known for its annual survey ranking the city’s best and worst public toilets.
In 2025, the association named the public toilet in the nightlife district of Lan Kwai Fong as the city’s cleanest, despite its high turnover.
A passion for pristine
Hung said his more than 60-year career had fuelled his passion for toilets, but it was the city’s outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in 2003 that pushed him to do more.
Hung said he realised that people’s health and well-being were at risk.
This realisation, along with a chance encounter with some like-minded people at an event in Beijing in 2005, led to the establishment of the association that year.
The group debuted its first ranking of the city’s public toilets the next year to raise its profile. But it only managed to publish its next survey in 2018 because the group did not have enough people.
The association plans to look into the lack of public toilets in the city’s public transport system, Hung said.
Terrible and terrific toilets
Hung has inspected many toilets over the years. He said that the worst toilet he personally examined was one on a hiking trail in Kam Tin five years ago.
It left a lasting impression on him: “It seemed no one was managing or looking after it. It was very smelly, and people had even defecated in the urinal trough without flushing it.”
“It was disgusting … I wanted to vomit,” he said.
The most memorable clean public toilet Hung has seen is at the Lantau Link Viewing Platform. He said it remained in good condition years after being ranked the best toilet in their survey.
“The management of toilets is very important … [as well as] education for the public. They have to [be respectful] when they use the toilet,” Hung said.
