Joel Mikael Walker from Germany takes a guest's pulse during a consultation in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, on July 24, 2025. Photos on this page: VCG

As public interest in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) continues to grow, especially amid this year's humid weather, a variety of TCM-themed summer activities have seen a surge in popularity across China. These events blend traditional healing with modern lifestyles, drawing not only elderly people but also an increasing number of young people and international participants, turning TCM into a vibrant part of the season's cultural life.

In many cities, TCM night markets have become beloved gathering spaces. In Jinchang, Northwest China's Gansu Province, visitors lined up from dusk to midnight for free health consultations, blood pressure glucose tests, and pulse diagnoses. Wellness treatments like cupping and Gua Sha therapies are so popular that they couldn't keep up with demand, according to news portal chinanews.com.

In Baiyin, Gansu, the local TCM night market featured booths offering herbal tea tastings, medicinal herb identification, free consultations, and health education. Long queues formed at every station, many of them filled with young faces. Pulse reading, acupuncture, herbal sachets, and medicinal drinks have now become trendy parts of the local nightlife. Medical staff from over 30 local institutions in Baiyin offered free consultations, answered health questions, explained wellness tips, and provided personalized advice, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The first TCM night market in Baiyin, Northwest China's Gansu Province.

Other cities have also launched creative TCM-themed night markets. In Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, themed zones featured cultural products, traditional healing techniques, and youth-focused TCM education. In Nanchang, East China's Jiangxi Province, new technologies like heat-sensitive moxibustion robots, digital diagnostic tools, and 3D foot scanners created a futuristic "cyber wellness" experience for attendees, Xinhua reported.

These night markets provide accessible after-hours care for working people and encourage early-stage health awareness. According to the People's Daily, a TCM expert said that people usually seek medical help only after symptoms appear, but TCM night markets could shift that mindset - encouraging earlier engagement with health and wellness. With professional guidance, careful planning, and strict oversight, these markets are helping popularize TCM culture, promote healthy habits, and inject new energy into community healthcare.

Beyond the night markets, traditional treatments like Sanfutie - herbal plasters applied during the hottest days of summer - are also in full swing since Sanfu, the "dog days" of summer, officially began on July 20. TCM hospitals across the country, from clinics to eldercare centers, are offering this seasonal treatment, often seeing long lines of patients, according to media reports.

A doctor prepares herbal plasters for a Sanfutie treatment at a pediatric clinic in Tangyin, Central China's Henan Province, on July 20, 2025.

TCM theory holds that "winter illnesses should be treated in summer." During Sanfu, the body's meridians are more open, making it an ideal time for treatments like moxibustion and plasters to prevent or alleviate conditions that worsen in winter, such as bronchitis, chronic cough, and digestive disorders, according to Xinhua.

A medical staff member applies Sanfutie plasters to a visitor as part of seasonal wellness treatments in Bozhou, East China's Anhui Province, on July 30, 2025.

The Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine said that they received over 20,000 appointments for Sanfu treatments between June 21 and July 19. Notably, over 35 percent of recipients were adults under the age of 40, while more than 70 percent were under 45, including children.

On July 27, a TCM clinic in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province, hosted an event themed "Healthy living with TCM for seniors." Activities included herb recognition, making heatstroke prevention kits, and wellness drink tastings - helping local citizens better understand and benefit from summer health practices rooted in TCM, according to news portal people.com.

A doctor prepares herbal plasters for a Sanfutie treatment at a pediatric clinic in Tangyin, Central China's Henan Province, on July 20, 2025.

Foreign enthusiasts have also joined the summer TCM wave. From July 23 to 27, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Media and Think Tank Summit was held in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province. At the event's TCM heritage booth, Joel Mikael Walker, a German who has studied TCM in China for 10 years, offered acupuncture treatments to dozens of attendees. He now practices at a Zhengzhou hospital and shares his experience on social media, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, students and faculty from the US recently participated in a cultural exchange in Bayannur, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Chinese TCM experts gave systematic lectures on traditional medical theory, while hands-on activities like herbal sachet-making drew eager participation, reported the People's Daily Overseas Edition.

TCM pharmacists prepare herbal formulas in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu Province, on July 18, 2025.

A medical staff member provides personalized herbal plaster and moxibustion treatments for a patient in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province, on July 20, 2025.