TCM bar in China makes customers drinks based on its doctor’s diagnoses
Shanghai bar Niang Qing is one of many new traditional Chinese medicine bars that offer bespoke wellness to China’s stressed-out youth
“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”.
At Shanghai bar Niang Qing, a TCM doctor in a white coat diagnoses customers’ physical conditions based on the pulse readings, before a mixologist crafts custom drinks incorporating the herbs and roots prescribed for their ailments.
“This bar is actually an opportunity for me,” 26-year-old Zhao says, describing her “typical young person” lifestyle of late nights and junk food. “I like having a drink after work anyway, and this way I can casually check if something is wrong with me, while also holding on to a bit of wishful thinking.”
The bar’s resident TCM practitioner, Ding, says the concept is not as contrary as it may seem.