The Numi toilet, showing illuminated panels
Luxury goods manufacturers have long tailored products from cars to jeans for affluent Chinese consumers. Now, Chinese tastes are beginning to influence the design of the products the rest of the world buys - including toilets.
Take the $6,400 (U.S.) "smart" toilet from Kohler, for example. The global plumbing fixtures company designed its top of the line Numi toilet in the U.S. and China. While the Numi is targeted at U.S. and Chinese consumers, it has several features inspired primarily by China's entertainment- obsessed consumers - not to mention their cold loos.
The heated footrest, designed for chilly Chinese water closets, has proved one of its most popular features globally, says David Kohler, president of the family firm founded by his great-grandfather in 1873. The toilets' sleek iTouch style remote - which controls an internal music system and the temperature of the seat - has proved popular outside China, he says. The Numi, which drew crowds at a Shanghai trade exhibition, has been viewed on YouTube by close to 400,000 people. It also stars in video adverts shown in 10,000 Shanghai taxis.
Of course, it was Japan that pioneered the luxury bathroom experience. In 1980, Toto, the market leader, introduced its Washlet toilet, a sleek beauty with a heated seat and jet-spray bidet. Most Japanese homes are fitted with such contraptions, many of which have added features including water massage, driers and self-cleaning systems.
But China is not to be outdone. Its passion for multi-tasking has inspired Kohler to design a remote-controlled bidet seat which also allows users to Skype, play video games, and read e-books while abluting.
Kohler's decision to design these toilets partly in China reflects the growing influence of Chinese tastes on the global market and a nascent movement by foreign companies in the consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and automotive fields to increase research and development in China.
GM, which has become increasingly dependent on China as the world's largest automobile market, incorporated features inspired by China when it designed its new Buick LaCrosse saloon. The car's roomy back seat, designed for Chinese owners with chauffeurs, has proved popular in the U.S.
Beijing has put pressure on foreign companies to do more than just manufacture on the mainland, aiming to transform China from the world's sweatshop to its design studio.
China produces about a fifth of Kohler's revenues and mainland revenues are growing in double digits. The company has more than 100 engineering and design staff in China and runs its own Kohler University - shaping the toilet tastes of the masses.