"TCM bars" have popped up in several cities across China, epitomising what the country's stressed-out, time-poor youth refer to as "punk wellness", or "wrecking yourself while saving yourself". "Niang Qing" was founded by students from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine only last year, but has already expanded to five locations across the country. The idea of the bar was born "to let people experience TCM culture through entertainment". 'Wellness for a new era'Analysts have noted a growing interest among young Chinese people in products that repackage traditional Chinese culture for modern times. "Today's TCM bars provide precisely this -- a new form of socialising and wellness for a new era."

Source: Bangkok Post February 13, 2026 06:48 UTC