Wolfberry gelato? TCM meets F&B as wellness boom takes off in China

Stressed-out youth helping to boost sector, seen as bright spot in a tepid economy

- Joyce ZK Lim

Jars of herbs adorn the entrance to a bar in Shanghai, where nightcaps come with some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on the side.

Customers get their pulses read before downing herbal cocktails at the TCM-themed bar one in a growing number of such joints as savvy entrepreneurs tap a swell of interest in yang sheng, or wellness, a practice rooted in TCM.

It is not just bars: Stores selling food and drink infused with TCM - milkvetch root (known in Mandarin as huang qi) bread, monkfruit americano and ginseng bubble tea to name a few have been springing up across the country in recent years.

The proliferation of such businesses, dismissed as gimmicky by some, is seen by others as reflecting a growing interest among young Chinese in TCM - and a way to further popularise it across the country.

Niang Qing is one such enterprise. The bar was founded by students from the Shanghai University of TCM, who run it at night after their day classes. They opened their first outlet in 2024 in Anhui, followed by two outlets in 2025 in Shanghai, and recently raised funds to open six more in places from southeastern Zhejiang and central Henan to northwestern Qinghai.

There, patrons can get their pulses read and tongues checked by an in-house "physician" often a recent graduate - who comments on their overall health and body constitutions.

A bartender then shakes up a blend of yellow rice wine and herbs said to suit their respective constitutions. A concoction for people with "yang energy deficiency", for instance, includes "warming" herbs such as danggui (angelica root), longan, dried ginger and cinnamon.