From supplements to sand baths: China’s young adults turn to ‘yangsheng’ amid growing health concerns

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Taking supplements, drinking herbal teas and enrolling in lifestyle classes, China’s young people are turning to the wellness industry as work stress and memories of the pandemic have fueled a growing interest in health. These new habits are part of a global health boom, but the traditional concept of “yangsheng” — which literally means “cultivating your vitality” — has given the trend a unique cultural twist in China. In Shanghai, Annie Huang sat at a trendy cafe-like place that sold traditional herbal tea, sipping a bitter tea designed to help cool the body down from the heat.

Due to the stress of modern work culture and fear of epidemic, China's youth are turning to ancient practice. "Yangsheng" To improve your health. (AFP Photo)
The stress of modern work culture and fear of the pandemic have led China’s youth to turn to the ancient practice of “yangsheng” to improve their health. (AFP Photo)

“Young people nowadays often stay up all night… so they want to drink something they think is good for their body,” Huang, 30, told AFP. Rooted in Taoism and traditional Chinese medicine beliefs, the sprawling umbrella of “yangsheng” includes habits such as avoiding foods that cool the body and targeted massages that allegedly cure a range of ailments. Capitalising on the trend, state-run traditional Chinese medicine giants such as Beijing Tongrentang have opened fashionably decorated stores offering “stay-night water” and goji berry lattes, as well as traditional ingredients such as bird’s nest and ginseng believed to boost health.

Thousands of “yangsheng” influencers have posted posts on Chinese social media offering tips on how to “expel body moisture”, including ginger juice in daily meals, and finger exercises that supposedly improve blood circulation. The obsession with “yangsheng” has even spread to tourism, with young people flocking to desert areas to lie down on the sand in the belief that the practice expels unhealthy moisture from the body.

‘Willing to invest’

The world’s second-largest economy is grappling with sluggish consumption against a backdrop of a property crisis and stubborn youth unemployment. But health and wellness spending, particularly among millennials and Gen Z, remains a bright spot. Wellness purchases are “definitely growing more than other categories” despite many young spenders tightening their belts overall, said Jason Yu, Greater China managing director at consumer research firm Kantar Worldpanel.

“Nutritional supplements are one of the categories they really value and that they’re really willing to invest in,” Yu told AFP. The health craze has taken many forms, from the clinically proven to the pseudoscience. Chinese start-ups selling everything from vitamin gummies to probiotic powders are competing for attention with traditionally more trusted imported brands.

Health Concerns

The trend is linked to widespread concern about the negative health effects of the high-pressure modern work culture. Reports of overworked young people dying at their desks have prompted consumers to snap up “sudden death prevention packs” — combinations of daily takeout meals and supplements aimed at countering the effects of long workdays. “You think you’re just working, but you’re actually shortening your lifespan,” warned one post by a “yangsheng”-focused office worker influencer on the Xiaohongshu platform.

Young women, facing the challenges of their careers as well as the pervasive pressure to have children, are turning to classes that teach them how to improve their reproductive health. At a night school in Shanghai, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner Zhang Qinhai pointed to a diagram of the uterus and ovaries, warning the mostly young women in her class about the declining chances of a healthy birth at higher maternal ages.

“People are under a lot of stress, so their health is poor,” the 33-year-old student told AFP. Meanwhile, health fears sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic persist. Herbal tea cafe owner Tommy Kin said people feel their immunity has been weakened because of Covid and “they can easily catch colds and fevers.” Kantar Worldpanel’s Yu said he believed perception played a big role in younger consumers’ scramble to protect their health. “Greater awareness of various health issues, especially aided by social media, is really helping (boosting consumption), because everyone feels they are not healthy enough.”

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