Mothers Rejoice! Nursery Rooms Coming to the Guangzhou Metro

By Katrina Shi, August 9, 2017

What do Guangzhou mothers usually do when they need to change a dirty diaper or breastfeed their baby while using the city’s expansive metro system? Rush to the nearest shopping mall or fast-food chain washroom? Or maybe just hunker down in a corner and get it over with?

Regardless of how the situation was handled in the past, mothers can now escape public awkwardness by heading to new nursery rooms in the Guangzhou Metro.

According to Guangzhou Metro’s official WeChat account, the extension of Line 4, new lines 9 and 13 and the ‘Knowledge City Line’ (which connects the north area of Huangpu District to the Conghua Line) will host a nursery room at every stop by the end of this year.

Sixteen stations scattered across existing metro lines will be selected “based on conditions” to have nursery rooms installed, although Guangzhou Metro has not yet announced which stations it is considering.

Current plans indicate that by 2019, 40 subway stations will offer nursery facilities, including Ouzhuang, Wuayangcun, Zhujiang New Town, Liede, Guangzhou East Railway Station, Airport South and Tiyuxi Lu, according to a June report by Guangzhou Daily.

One nursery room is presently in operation on the Guangzhou Metro, located at Guangzhou South Railway Station. The 10-square-meter room was opened in December of last year as a pilot. The space offers commuting mothers a place to breastfeed their babies, change diapers and prepare milk using powder. It provides diapers, tissues and instant hand sanitizer.

Feedback from mothers so far indicates privacy may need to be enhanced, as some have complained of being exposed to outsiders while breastfeeding when someone opens the door to enter or exit. Ventilation is another issue, as the odor of urine and feces is reportedly quite strong.

Mr. Ye, the press manager of Guangzhou Metro Group Co. Ltd, said the company has considered such problems and will do its best to improve the nursery design.

In addition to adding nursery rooms, the ‘Ten Measures of Improved Services of Guangzhou Metro’ also aims to improve staff’s English, upgrade English guidance and launch a new English mobile app.

[Images via Guangzhou Daily, Sohu News]