In a softly lit Shanghai bar, graduate student Helen Zhao stretches out both wrists to have her pulse taken – the first step in ordering the house special, a bespoke “health” cocktail based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
“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.
