Chinese herb tea. [Photo/VCG] Yangsheng, or nurturing life, is a core component of traditional Chinese medicine that puts paramount emphasis on the prevention of illness and fostering health and well-being. Typically, it is middle-aged or older people who follow certain rules of yangsheng, such as doing tai chi or sipping tea. However, yangsheng has lately become a fad among younger Chinese people. By balancing the indulgences of modern life with the health tips of their grandparents, they have created what has been dubbed punk yangsheng in an attempt to maintain both good health and their lifestyle. As young people gradually take more responsibility in society, they are paying attention to their health, taking note of the harm that some of their habits can bring and trying to reduce the risks while still enjoying their vices. According to yangsheng, goji tea is good for the liver, so young people drink plenty of goji tea if they stay up to go barhopping. Women who are menstruating should eat jujubes to enrich the blood and avoid cold food, so young women eat jujube ice cream. After eating spicy Sichuan hot pot, they drink plenty of chrysanthemum tea. According to e-commerce giant Alibaba's 2017 health consumption report, more than 50 percent of health product buyers are under 30. The report found that young buyers tended to search for healthy foods that need little to no preparation, such as honey, goji berries and donkey-hide gelatin, reflecting their desire to stay healthy without making too much effort. Qian Xudong, 26, from Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, started to practice yangsheng in college, when he began to gain weight and started to feel weak from playing video games day and night. He started running every morning because traditional Chinese medicine says that's the best time to exercise. He also tried acupuncture and started to eat only fresh, healthy food. In two months, my weight dropped from 82 to 68 kilograms, he said. However, Qian, a government worker, still holds on to some unhealthy habits such as frequently attending dinner parties and eating snacks late at night with his friends. He said he's aware that one of the most effective ways to lose weight is to get adequate sleep, but he likes hanging out with friends. In an attempt to counteract that, he sometimes sleeps for a couple of hours before going out. I then return home at around 2 am and sleep till 8 am, he said. Zhu Qingwen, a professor at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, said while it is good for young people to follow yangsheng rules and pay more attention to their health, the punk yangsheng style may do more harm than good. The best way to stay healthy is to avoid staying up late, not drinking plenty of goji tea after staying up barhopping. When people damage their health, no matter how hard they try to make up for it, the damage already exists. The best way to stay healthy is to give up their bad habits, he said. While some young Chinese are practicing punk yangsheng, others are taking the traditional practice more seriously. In the case of Li Yong, a third-year graduate student at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, his yangsheng lifestyle is more orthodox than punk. Li sees yangsheng as part of Chinese culture and has formed habits that he says are healthy. At the start of autumn, he stops drinking cold beverages and starts taking foot baths every day. He also practices acupuncture on himself frequently and attends an acupuncture club at the school where students practice acupuncture on each other. I also drink plenty of jujube tea, goji tea and chrysanthemum tea, and take traditional Chinese medicines that are good for my liver, kidney, spleen and stomach. He runs every morning and sometimes he also practices tai chi and qigong exercises. For me, yangsheng is a lifestyle that has been passed on through generations. It is a scientific way of living, he said. Li said young people should pay more attention to improving their physical health, and yangsheng is an effective way to do so. silicone braceletsrubber band bracelets
Soldiers from a branch of the border defense forces in Yantai, Shandong province, see off a demobilized soldier. [TANG KE/FOR CHINA DAILY] Employers urged to give preference to ex-military personnel in recruitment Several local governments have adopted measures to help veterans land jobs, following the central government's promise of an all-out effort to boost their well-being. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Veterans Affairs organized a job fair on Tuesday for employers and veterans in the capital. More than 270 State-owned enterprises and private companies took part. It was the first of its kind for military retirees after the bureau was founded. Nearly 1,000 job vacancies were made available. Miao Lifeng, who heads the bureau, told China Central Television that more than 400 companies applied for a place in the job fair to support veterans, noting that around 660 retirees received initial offers at the event. In late October, the municipal government arranged a similar fair for former soldiers to connect with State-owned enterprises. More than 100 veterans landed jobs at that gathering, local newspapers reported. In late November, authorities in Zhejiang province published a set of 23 guidelines to help veterans find jobs or start their own businesses. Under those guidelines, ex-military personnel in Zhejiang are eligible for free vocational training. State-owned companies must reserve a certain proportion of their job openings each year for ex-soldiers, while government organizations are encouraged to employ more veterans. Veterans who start a business or who hire at least three other military retirees will receive government subsidies for up to three years. In mid-November, Hunan province held a series of recruitment activities to help ex-soldiers enter the civilian workforce. A total of 210 companies have taken part, offering more than 4,800 positions to veterans. The central government published guidelines in August to help veterans find civilian jobs or start businesses. Under the guidelines, each veteran is eligible for two years of free vocational training and a living allowance during the training period. Employers are urged to give preference to veterans in recruitment, set lower requirements for job applicants who have served in the military and arrange periodic training for any veteran they hire. Enterprises that hire veterans may be eligible for tax benefits if they meet certain criteria. County governments or higher authorities have been asked to organize at least two job fairs for military retirees each year, according to the guidelines. On Sunday, the ministry ordered the protection of veterans' rights at all levels of government and reemphasized proper handling of veterans' petitions. It urged relevant departments to fully implement policies to improve veterans' welfare, including helping them find jobs. According to Sun Shaocheng, minister of veterans affairs, more than 530,000 personnel will retire from the armed forces in 2018. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, more than 57 million military personnel have re-entered civilian life, the ministry said.
