Toilet Paper is special in China and cost a lot, so they take it where ever they can get it and for insurance. 

I have honestly never seen what you describe and I would never do that. Seems like too much work.

Toilet paper is in no way special and is way cheaper than back home. 10 RMB for 12 in my local (expensive expat) supermarket.

No, because I don't see it an efficient way of using it. Pulling off the cardboard makes the straps difficult to be removed once close to the end, and using it as table napkin it's useless as too soft. Not to mention the finesse of thinking of the original scope.

Get a toilet paper roll holder and just screw it in the wall, for sake's sake. 10 rmb never made anybody go broke.

And, there's always the good saying: every job got it's proper tool for it....... Ops.... forgot where we are for a sec......

Chinese people i know always take the tissues they pay for at dinner home with them so that's where it will end up is the toilet. Waste not want not

I wouldn't use the roll of TP that they put for free use at small restaurants or street bbq places. You never know where it went.

As for bringing your own paper, it's exactly the same way as in Italy and its filthy squat toilets. China and Italy definitely have a lot in common when it comes to lack of hygiene.

I put a stop to that stupid plastic thing and removing the cardboard roll in my home....just plain stupid!!

I wrap it, along with plastic bottles (attached using cellotape) around my c*ck and wait for old women to *collect* it.

No one ever told me that TP doesn't go in the toilet. I plugged up more toilets. I think I read about it on here. I bought regular TP but there was no holder, just left it on the toilet tank.

  Since moving to the PRC i've started spray cleansing. Either that or I out and out enema myself with a hose. I find it thorough, fun and somewhat exciting.

nei nein nein

Removing the cardboard roll? In almost 8 years here I have never seen that, anywhere.

Never seen that before. I just keep it on the roll and tear it off. If you have a place to put the roll like a holder than I use that. 

Of course, those cylindrical holders with a hole in the top center. I like them, it's a very different approach. But then they sell toilet paper without the cardboard roll in it, just a compact mass of paper. So I use those the old-fashioned way, from the outside in.

When I read the question I thought it was about not flushing it. There are bins in many toilets and it seems to be the habit to put the used paper in there. Either the paper is too good and it won't disintegrate, or the sewer is too tiny for that bulk to pass  (?).