'Everyone's entering their "Chinese era", and as a Chinese woman, I have thoughts.'

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For the majority of my life, I lived with a quiet sense of shame about my Chinese culture.

You see, my Chinese dad instilled many beautiful traditions and lifestyle practices at home. However, I slowly convinced myself to dislike them, mostly out of fear of standing out or being judged by others.

Bringing warm Chinese soups to school instead of sandwiches and salads was "uncool". Drinking "smelly" herbal remedies to fix ailments or boost my health was "gross". Wearing slippers inside the house was seen as "inconvenient" or "strange". Doing slow, gentle movements like tai chi and qigong, was considered "useless" compared to HIIT classes.

These were small things, but they added up.

Looking back, it feels incredibly silly to be so insecure about my culture. But at the time, fitting in felt more important than honouring where I came from.

Fast-forward to 2026, and suddenly Western social media is flooded with people announcing they're "entering their Chinese era" and quite literally "becoming Chinese". The same habits I was once heavily teased for are now being framed as aspirational. "Life-changing", even. 

So, what exactly is this "Chinese era" everyone can't stop talking about?

What is TikTok's 'Chinese era'?

If you haven't fallen down this rabbit hole on TikTok, the "Chinese era of my life" trend romanticises everyday Chinese lifestyle practices and reframes them as slow, intentional and deeply grounding.

@mary_k761

1 - slippers in the house 2 - small jumps every morning to get lymph nodes activated 3 - warm water in the morning and herbal tea throughout the day #trend #chinese #hotwater #chinatiktok

♬ original sound - alex

Many of these habits are rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the philosophy of 'Yang Sheng', which loosely translates to "nourishing life". The focus isn't on quick fixes or extreme routines, but on balance, prevention and working with your body over time.

Here are some of the practices:

Food as daily medicine.

Instead of restrictive diets or supplements, food is viewed as something that gently supports the body.

Warm water or herbal tea is preferred over iced drinks, especially in the morning, to aid digestion. Meals tend to be cooked, warm and nourishing (think soups, stews, congee and steamed vegetables) rather than cold salads or raw foods. Eating seasonally also plays a role, with lighter, cooling foods in summer and warming, comforting meals in winter.

Portions are moderate, and meat is often used as a supporting ingredient rather than the centre of every plate.

Herbs are also woven into daily life in subtle, practical ways. Simple herbal teas made from ingredients like goji berries, jujube dates, apples, hawthorn and ginger are commonly used to support everyday concerns, from easing digestion and bloating, to helping with menstrual discomfort, period pain and headaches. Rather than being treated as medicine you only reach for when something's wrong, herbs are part of regular, preventative care.

Gentle movement over punishment.

Rather than high-intensity workouts, Chinese lifestyle practices favour movement that supports circulation and longevity.

Slow, intentional exercises like tai chi and qigong are designed to keep the body mobile and balanced without exhaustion. Even daily walking is prioritised because consistency matters more than intensity. The idea is to move your body regularly, not punish it occasionally.

@taigberg

Your nervous system doesn’t calm down from thinking… it calms down from movement. Qi Gong uses gentle, rhythmic motion to release tension stored in the fascia. As fascia loosens, nerve signaling improves and the body begins to self regulate. Less holding. Less bracing. More ease without effort. This is why you feel different after just a few minutes. #fyp #fascia #nervoussystemhealing #breath #health

♬ sparks - welcome

Daily rituals that protect the body.

Small habits are believed to make a huge difference. Keeping the feet and neck warm, wearing slippers inside, and avoiding excessive air conditioning are all thought to protect the body from "cold" entering and causing illness. Sleep is also treated as sacred, with an emphasis on earlier bedtimes and consistent routines.

Postpartum rest, known as "sitting the month", is another practice where new mothers are encouraged to slow down and recover properly instead of bouncing back immediately.

Mind and emotional balance.

Mental health isn't separated from physical health.

Stress, overthinking and emotional suppression are believed to affect the body just as much as diet. Practices like mindfulness, reflection and maintaining strong social connections — whether through family, community activities or shared meals — are seen as essential to overall wellbeing.

Everyday home remedies

From acupressure to gua sha, these small rituals are presented as accessible tools for managing energy, circulation and minor discomforts.

@nmmalaika

got the slippers too #chinesebaddie @sherry

♬ original sound - alex

Is the 'Chinese era' a bad thing?

To be clear: I'm not against this trend at all. In fact, there's a part of me that genuinely loves seeing people enter their Chinese era.

I love seeing Chinese foods, rituals and values finally spoken about with respect. I love how people are learning there's depth and intention behind habits that were once dismissed as "old-fashioned" or "strict". There's something validating about watching the world pause long enough to notice the beauty in a culture that has always existed, but was often silenced or looked down on.

But alongside that pride, there's also a heavy sadness.

For many of us, this appreciation didn't come when we needed it most. It didn't come when we were kids being teased for our lunches and how we looked, our parents' rules or the way our homes operated. It didn't come when being Chinese felt like something we had to explain, soften or make palatable.

I also can't look past the fact that it was only six years ago when Chinese people were being ridiculed, scolded and even spat at in public. It's just a reminder of how quickly a culture can shift from being feared or blamed to being celebrated.

While I'm glad people are finally seeing the beauty in it, I can't ignore the fact that it's taken this long. And I especially can't ignore the fact that it often takes a trend or a TikTok stamp of approval for a culture to be considered worthy of admiration.

For me, there's something strange about watching your culture go from 'othered' to aesthetic.

Growing up, bringing herbal tea to school wasn't cool. Wearing slippers inside wasn't chic. Being told not to drink iced water made you "weird". These were just everyday habits for me. Now, the same practices are being stripped of context, packaged as wellness life hacks and sold for views online.

Is this just an "era"? 

I also can't help but worry this "Chinese era" is exactly that — an era. A phase. Something people adopt for a season, film for likes, credit with "changing their lives", and then quietly move on from once the algorithm shifts.

Please, please, please prove me wrong.

I hope this isn't just another aesthetic that gets discarded in a year. I hope people keep the practices that genuinely ground them long after the trend stops trending. Because these habits aren't meant to be consumed and forgotten, and instead, they're meant to be lived, passed down for generations and practised with intention.

If this trend encourages people to slow down, eat nourishing foods and care for their bodies and health, then that's genuinely a good thing. 

I just wish we could appreciate Chinese culture without turning it into a productivity tool or a wellness hack. These habits aren't magic. They're not aesthetic. And they don't exist to optimise your life in 30-something days.

For me, they're part of my culture that I've spent 30 years navigating, questioning, loving and sadly, heavily resisting.

So yes, enter your Chinese era. Drink the tea. Wear the slippers. Do tai chi every morning. But just remember, for some of us, this was never a trend, and it's never just been an "era". It was home, and will forever be home. 

Feature image: Supplied.