A Beginner's Guide to Modern Chinese Health Preservation

当代年轻人朋克养生指南

When I was little, my mother used to tell me to wear my long johns the first thing when the autumn chills arrive. And, I am not supposed to drink cold water because as a woman, my body type is Yin (opposite of male Yang body), therefore I am essentially weak. In addition, my mother also made thick drinks by boiling ginger, red dates, and dark brown sugar for me. This drink is red in color and very sweet. It resembles the color of the period blood to compensate for all the lost “blood” from ones’ period.

Drinking cold water is a big taboo. All kinds of bad things happen if you drink cold water. All my problems in life: sore stomach, headache, occasional diarrhea, food poisoning, and bad exam results were all due to my habit of drinking cold water.

I also have problems with my stomach from time to time. According to my mother, my aunties, and my mother’s friends, it is not because of the possibility of food intolerance. Instead, they have decided that my bad living habits, such as drinking cold water, eating seafood (a type of Yin food that further weakened my Yin body), and not wearing my long johns when it is cold, are the source of the problem.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a branch of medicine in China. It is described as "fraught with pseudoscience", and some of its treatments have no logical basis. Medicine in Chinese history consisted a range of health and healing practices, folk beliefs, Confucian philosophy, herbal remedies, food & diet, exercise, medical specializations, and schools of thought. Nowadays, the practice of traditional Chinese medicine is expanded into magic realism beliefs, which encompasses a wide array of aspects in people’s lives, from what to eat, what to wear to how to think.

The Chinese word “养生” can be translated as health preservation, it combines Traditional Chinese Medicine beliefs, modern western medicine knowledge, exercise routines, and modern technologies. Therefore, some of the practices make sense, some are not, especially for people who are not familiar with the concept.

Take the following chart as an example:

Health Preservation is a big industry in China

Up to the first half-year for 2021, an average Chinese citizen’s health care product/services consumption is the fifth highest-ranking spending type. With an average of 1015RMB per month.

Generation Z (people born after the 1990s) is the driving force for health-related products/services consumptions among the overall population.

What are the typical health concerns for Generation Z? Hair loss appears to be the top concern for overworked young people, followed by worsening eyesight and weight gain, because of the lifestyle and habits.

As Generation Z’s attitude towards health preservation is also changing, compared to the older generations, such as people born in the 70s and 80s, they tend to spend more time, money, and thoughts on improving their health and fitness.

According to the “Health Preservation Attitude and Behavior for Generation Z” report, Generation Z is the driving force for the current Chinese health preservation industry.

The following charts show the top 3 health-enhancing products and services among Generation Z consumers:

Why Chinese young people are so concerned about their health

Health preservation practices were once mainly related to the older population, and young people were not as conscious about their health as nowadays. However, this has changed dramatically during the last few years.

“The-born-after-90s-young-people start to lose hair!”

“Why white-collar office workers are overworked and stressed!”

“Is 996 really a bless?”

“Young intern in Big Factory dies of a heart attack after being overworked for months.” (Big Factory 大厂，refers to creative technology companies, as the modern factories).

“Are your pets and children also started involution because of your lifestyle?”(Involution内卷，a term used to describe a person who is overworking voluntarily for ones’ own anxiousness).

“Why are we constantly feeling anxious?”

“The young people are starting to give up any desires and want to lying flat permanently.” (Lying flat 躺平, a state of being when someone stops trying).

etc.

These are the headlines that always make it to the top of the search results. If you search keywords overwork, 996, big factory working cultures, etc., they always grab big amount of attentions.

For centuries, we Chinese have believed that to live a fulfilling, successful life, we must first live a hard life when we are young. Only those who endure the most become the highest.

Modern Chinese society praises elitism. From school-age students to young adults to office workers. What if someone just wants to take it easy and not climb the social ladder? That is fine, as long as you are content being a loser all your life.

Most people oblige with the societal rules, hoping everything will be easier if they can just endure a little longer. Unfortunately, all the long working hours, staying up late past midnight, bad working postures, bad diet including takeaways and fast food, not enough hot water… all contributes to the suboptimal health status that is very common among young people.

People can not stop working hard and constantly running out of time. The term “Punk Health Preserving”(朋克养生) describes how overworked young people use their unique ways to keep up with good health.

Since tonight is another late night, I will put on my most expensive face mask.
Too much hotpot is not good for my stomach, let’s put some ginseng inside
Another big project, I am losing my hair, I will drink some hair fiber drink
Ice cream is too cold for my body. I will order a goji berry flavored one.

It might seem ridiculous to read them. But, this state of mind does brings comfort for people, as some say this is their way to show they have not completely given up to their health.

Now that businesses have realised the potential in Chinese young people’s health industry. New products that answer the customers’ quest for health improvement, time-saving, and convenience will win. These products provide multiple functions at the same time. For example, chewing gum with beneficial vitamins, water with various traditional herbal extracts, or Apps that track one's health status and solve particular health-related problems. In 2019, sport and health-related Apps’ average monthly active number was 91,68million, more than three times higher than the second group type on the Chinese App Store.

For overseas businesses which want to tap into this vast market, getting to know the local consumer behavior, habits, and expectations is crucial. We need a well-planned marketing strategy to get into Generation Z’s heart with your product and successfully access the vast Chinese health market. This is only the start of the journey, but it will guarantee you to achieve long-term steady growth with high returns for your company.