Wellness market in good health

CHONGQING — During her lunch break, 28-year-old office worker Li Qing heads straight to an outpost of health center chain in a bustling mall in Chongqing municipality for a rejuvenating session of massage and moxibustion.

"This is my secret weapon against work burnout," Li says, flashing a three-session pass on her phone. In nearby treatment rooms, clients unwind enveloped in the powerful herbal scent of burning moxa and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee from downstairs. This scene is a snapshot of the growing wellness craze among urban Chinese.

From herbal teas to smartwatches, Chinese young people are leading a wellness revolution in the country that blends science, personalization and lifestyle. Youngsters see wellness as a daily act of optimization.

According to a report released by Xinhuanet on the nutrition consumption trends of China's equivalent of Generation Z, young people are becoming the main force in health consumption — with those aged 18 to 35 accounting for 83.7 percent of China's health consumers.

Liu Junkang, general manager of Jin'aitang Health Management company, says that young people are willing to pay for high-quality health products and favor personalized services.

At a herbal milk tea shop in front of a hospital, crowds can be seen queuing for blends like dark plum milk and angelica cassia tonic brew. "Our recipes combine traditional Chinese medicine with modern culinary technology," says Liao Changying, director of the nutrition department of the Chongqing Jiangbei Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Liao's team has developed more than 40 wellness foods — ranging from medicinal gummies to protein-rich pastries. As young consumers embrace TCM, clinical consultations have surged by 30 to 35 percent a year at the hospital's nutrition department.

Liu Shiting, a 25-year-old fitness enthusiast, is scrutinizing yogurt labels using three nutrition apps in a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province.

Label-literate consumers like Liu Shiting have helped give rise to a premium health snack sector that now commands a significant market share.

Technology is also reshaping the wellness game. When programmer Zhang Yang's smartwatch vibrates after 90 minutes of sitting, he steps away from work for a round of Baduanjin, a traditional aerobic exercise, while his health app logs his activity in real time.

China's wearable device shipments soared 36.2 percent year-on-year to 33.67 million units in the first quarter of 2024, as advanced health tracking becomes a must-have for young people. Smartwatches now offer features like heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen measurement, and ECG tracking, making 24/7 wellness management more accessible than ever.

"Wellness is no longer just advice from elders but a measurable part of daily life," Liu Junkang says, noting three major trends among young consumers — using data to customize their health routines, reinventing traditional therapies in a modern way, and prioritizing enjoyable, hands-on wellness experiences.

As China's health industry pivots from one-size-fits-all to hypercustomized solutions, a generation embracing a fusion of health tech and TCM is rewriting the rules of preventive care — one herbal latte and smartwatch alert at a time.

Xinhua