A Traditional Chinese Medicine-themed cultural festival kicked off on March 7 in Shanghai, integrating traditional wellness practices with contemporary urban lifestyles.

The 10-day festival at the Ruihong Tiandi business complex in Shanghai's Hongkou district features 40 intangible cultural heritage projects and 118 TCM cultural experience activities. Ten TCM practitioners offer consultations, while six time-honored brands and four cultural and creative enterprises specializing in TCM present their products and services.

"We've observed significant changes in consumer trends," said Lei Yanqing, senior director of Shui On Xintiandi. "Today's young people show increasing anxiety about sub-health conditions and a strong interest in exploring traditional Chinese medicine and culture. Our goal is to promote TCM culture while establishing a new Chinese-style wellness lifestyle".

The festival is organized into five themed sections, encompassing medical consultations, traditional therapies like acupuncture and massage, and herbal medicine workshops. Visitors can engage in various activities, from traditional exercise demonstrations to hands-on experiences in making herbal sachets and more.

The event attracts visitors from various countries as well. Syton Peter Chawinga, a student from Malawi studying at Shanghai International Studies University, shared his firsthand experience: "Unlike Western medicine that focuses on specific symptoms, TCM tries to understand the whole body before prescribing treatment," he said.

British visitor Simon Phillips, who brought his son Ethan to experience the TCM culture, emphasized the festival's value. "I'm a huge believer in the herbalistic natural approach. I wanted my son as a younger generation to come here and see how I feel about it because I believe it has huge healing properties within our body," he explained.

Ethan was particularly impressed by the traditional pulse diagnosis demonstrations, noting how practitioners could identify health conditions through this ancient diagnostic method. "He feels your pulse, then he can tell you what your ailments are," he said.

The festival's commercial aspect includes nearly 40 merchants in health, personal care, beauty, and tea sectors launching Chinese herbal products with special promotions.