Stressed China youth fuel wellness boom with traditional twist

Medical Xpress August 9, 2024

Popping supplements, drinking herbal teas and signing up for lifestyle classes, China’s youth are turning to the wellness industry as work stress and pandemic memories spur a growing interest in health.

These new habits are part of a global wellness boom, but the traditional concept of “yangsheng”—literally meaning “cultivating one’s life force”—has given the trend a unique cultural twist in China.

In Shanghai, Annie Huang sat in a trendy cafe-like establishment that sold traditional herbal teas, sipping a bitter concoction purported to protect the body against the summer heat.

“Young people today frequently pull all-nighters… so they want to drink something that they feel is good for their body,” Huang, in her thirties, told AFP.

Rooted in Taoism and traditional...

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