Discussion keeps.
You're listening to Roundtable.
I'm Niu Honglin, joined by Steve and Xinyu.
Coming up soon, hospitals used to be places where we dreaded.
It's where time slowed, lights glared, and the scent of disinfectant hung heavy in the air.
But in 2025, that image is shifting.
Here in China, mooncakes fused with Chinese herbs and medical-grade facial clinics are winning the hearts of young people.
And behind this phenomenon lies something deeper the convergence of healthcare, lifestyle and economics.
And have you ever appreciated or even participated in a professional, immersive performance while enjoying your dinner?
This new trend has been popular in China for a while, and now people are debating over the nature of it.
We'll get to the bottom of the so-called performance dining in just a bit, but now, These days, hospitals in China are not just places to see a doctor.
They're becoming places to book a skin care treatment, doing a massage, sipping a coffee or buying a healthy snack.
On social media, young people are sharing photos of hospitals' wellness corners, describing them as clean, calm and surprisingly cool.
So what does this way or what does this say about how we live and consume health in the year 2025?
What's new about people leaning for the hospital these days?
Yeah.
When we talk about hospitals, we think it's a place we go to see a doctor.
But nowadays, these hospitals for the young people, they are not there for medicine.
They have become a lifestyle destination.
So there are a few examples out there.
What stood out to me is the healthy food.
So some hospitals, they have launched a certain bread or pastries that contain traditional Chinese medicine.
Hospitals.
Yeah, hospitals.
Yeah, you hear me right.
And traditional Chinese medicine are included in the bread, or Chinese herbs including the bread, and actually young people they're queuing up for these affordable bread.
I've checked this example in Yunnan province, actually in Puerh city, they have this very, very popular.
They call it the number one bread among the locals.
It's called Puerh Dayao Fang Mianbao.
It's a very small store located inside a public hospital.
It's almost a pharmacy.
Yeah, I can say that.
But they sell bread.
And you cannot even find this store on map, but everybody in the local, they know about this place.
Making it kind of exclusive somehow.
Yeah, some of the things that they sell in these snack bars or bakeries or whatever you want to call them.
They're developed with hospital nutritionists or dieticians.
So they can mark.
It's kind of good for marketing, isn't it?
Because they're developed by the healthy practitioners.
So therefore, you know, it's not a lot of butter.
It's not a lot of unhealthy food. things to put in the breads or the snacks.
So it's tasty, it's health conscious, and it's affordable, they say as well.
And these kind of snacks are mainly from the traditional Chinese hospitals.
Let's make sure of that.
Because in traditional Chinese medicine there's the concept that different food would serve different purposes.
Well, we have that in any kind of medical theory, but in Chinese medicine TCM, it's practiced for thousands of years.
And many of the Chinese herbs are also food ingredient or at least a herbal tea ingredient.
And so this does not come as a surprise for especially the Chinese market.
But what I am truly interested is the hospital skin care services they're providing.
So they'll put these often in the dermatology or cosmetic departments inside the hotel.
And sometimes it can be partially paid for with your medical insurance.
So I guess that would be one of the biggest differences between finding a place on the street to go for a facial or some skin treatment and then going to the hotel.
The hotel, the hospital.
You can get a medical grade facial.
You can get a laser treatment or photo rejuvenation.
And it gives people a more effective and sometimes cheaper way because it can be covered by your insurance.
And maybe even more reliable, too.
I mean, I'm not sure if that's fair to say, but if you're talking about the trust level of the customer, maybe more likely to trust those doing those services at the hospital than perhaps at a shop on the street.
Yeah, I think for Chinese dermatology departments in the hospitals in the years.
In the past few years we have actually very popular like skincare products sold by these.
Yes, skin masks and also like lotion and vitamin E creams.
You know, they are very popular, not just in hospital, but also online.
So these products, they're produced by professionals inside hospital.
And actually, people really trust that the effect works. other than the products sold by companies.
Yeah.
I mean, honestly, I used to go to these places in Korea.
How good are they?
Very.
It's like a day at the spa, honestly.
In Korea, they're called bibugwa.
They're separate places, so it might be different places, Um, for some people.
So you can go there for a facial, something cosmetic, or you can go there if you have some kind of German um dermatology problem.
If you have a skin problem as well.
They're clinics, but they're not.
They're usually, as far as I know, not located inside the hospital.
They are separate clinics onto their own.
And here in China, especially for the younger generation.
Previously we had the idea that hospitals, especially even if dermatology departments, they are for relatively serious problems.
And, of course, they can cure the serious problems like burning or the kind of growth on your skin that you need to take care of and need to assess the situation, see whether or not it's serious.
And that still happens in these hospitals.
But on top of it, People started to realize huh, if I feel like my face is a bit dry these days, the skin needs extra care.
It can be something very, very simple to cure, but it can also be something that can be cured and further improved by professional doctors.
Why not a hospital?
Just getting a facial is a nice relaxing afternoon anyway, is it not?
But I heard this is from a friend of mine who goes to these places all the time.
And this is what his dermatologist told him about getting a facial if you only do it just once in a while.
This is what he told him.
He said it's like putting mayonnaise on a squid.
Yes, it'll make it moist for a short period of time, but long-term it's not going to make any difference.
So you have to do it over and over and over again to have your skin feel those long-term effects.
And the skincare services is one thing.
There's also iSpa clinics.
Yeah, I hear that some office workers, they actually take their lunch break to...
Go to these eye hospitals and have these eye spa or acupressure.
I think it's kind of a massage that works on your acupoints around your eye area.
And also like steam massage.
I was going to say, this one's my favorite.
The steam mist.
This is to relieve your dry eyes, because everybody at the office stares at a computer screen all day long, so your eyes get really dry.
So they mist your eyes to moisten them up so that you can... stare at that screen even longer.
There is an eye hospital right next to our office.
I've been there.
We should go.
It's not only an eye hospital.
Yes.
They have other services as well.
They have a massage.
But that's the name on the door.
Yes.
Yes, and now I find young people quite Creative, innovative in finding out the goodies in different types of companies or sections in the society.
Yeah, we talked about this before on Roundtable, about how hospital gift shops were getting creative.
A gift shop, yes.
What they were doing is they're making plushie toys, kind of ironic plushie toys.
You know they'll have like a I haven't seen any examples myself in person but like little plushies in the shape of a heart.
Or a kidney or something like that.
Oh, I'd like a kidney.
Oh, no.
So they're getting creative in terms of how to attract non-hospital going customers.
I think it's a must step because of course, young people can get creative and go to hospital for these services, but the services need to exist to start with.
So who, what triggered hospitals to start expanding their services, their business into this area?
Make money.
Yeah.
It is a big point because public hospitals especially can sometimes face tighter budgets.
They can have fewer outpatients.
So opening a thing like a skincare clinic or a wellness program, bringing that into the hospital, can bring in additional revenue.
Definitely.
And also, I think, over the years, these public hospitals they have like their image transformation, when in the past they want to be trendy and fashionable with the younger customers.
In the past we think hospitals as some place where it's very serious and you worry about your health and you have disease to cure.
But nowadays, they seem to have taken a more cozy and approach phase for these young people.
But on the other hand, I also worry that I mean, hospitals, they are already very crowded place.
And with the new younger generation, they're like rushing to the hospital.
This can be another problem, though.
I don't want my hospital to to be a cool hangout.
Your hospital, you know the one that i go to.
I don't want it to be trendy.
I don't want people taking photos for their social media in front of the plushy kidney store or the Traditional Chinese medicine fancy bread shop.
I don't need that.
Or finding there's no vacancy beds or no available beds because everyone is taking their nap time.
Or parking.
Or parking.
Right.
I don't need a nightclub in my hospital is what I'm trying to say.
They're not bringing in outside staff.
They're already in there.
So why not take advantage of that? of the professionals that are already working there.
It's just these other little trendy things that I don't, I don't, I don't need.
I don't think we need to worry that much because there's only enough services that you can quote, unquote enjoy in a hospital and The other checkups and prescription and giving you the kind of medicine you need are all still very serious.
So as long as they're doing it smartly, separating departments.
It's not like you're going to get a call on Friday night like, what's up, bro?
You want to go hang at the hospital?
It's not like that.
But I also find, again, young people are being very innovative and also very practical.
We mentioned the importance of taking care of ourselves all the time.
And finally, I see a move that I find very safe, very smart and would be effective, because we've heard young people online complaining about the kind of, for example, fish shows or even small plastic surgeries that they took in, the kind of facilities that are not up to standard enough.
And now more people are saying, well, you know what, you can get that kind of surgery in a hospital.
Sometimes it's not cheaper, it's even more expensive, but it's the right place to go and you can trust the hospital.
And these very smart and practical moves makes me feel like hmm, the young people are still young, but they're getting wiser and smarter.
And at some point in the future, they'll be going to that hospital more often.
Oh, that is a dark turn at the end of this topic.
You're listening to Roundtable.
Coming up, performance dining.
Is it beautiful, dazzling, or maybe a little exhausting?
Please don't tell me it's in a hospital.
No, it's not, but it can be.
Some surprising locations.
Let's talk about it after the break.
Looking for passion?
How about fiery debate?
Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives?
Then tune in to Roundtable, where East meets West and understanding is the goal.
This is Roundtable with me, Steve Hatherly and Xinyu.
Remember when eating out just meant eating?
Now it might mean stepping into a town dynasty palace, joining a hot pot rave or acting out a love confession between courses.
Performance dining is the latest craze among young Chinese foodies.
Equal parts dining, theater, and Instagrammable moments.
But lately, people are asking, is the food still worth the show?
I have never attended such performance dining.
I have watched some short videos on social media about this kind of dining and they all look very attractive and you really dress up for it, don't you, mmm?
I think when you talk about performance dining, what comes to my mind is when you go to one of those hot pot franchises in Beijing, then they have this the chefs can have this noodle stretching performance in front of you, or they have their birthday celebrating performance, playing with your food not the kind of educational to get from my mom.
That's the performance that I was expecting.
But now, since this September, a restaurant in Beijing's Chaoyang District.
It offers a immersive performance dining.
By immersive, i mean the point on the point.
When you enter this restaurant, you are welcomed by staffs wearing traditional chinese clothes and the whole setting is based on the classical Chinese literature called The Dream of the Red Chamber.
Oh, I can go to that one.
Yes, and they actually have a script and also a stage performance, stage performing arts, unveiled in front of you.
But you are not just the audience.
You are part of the script.
So while you are dining and there's no like the border of the stage area and your dining area, it's like mixed, and every corner of the whole area can be turned into a stage.
Do I have to remember my lines?
No, you have to.
Well, I'm asking it's a legit question because we talked about the kind of immersive performance you can enjoy in an entire small town, the kind of themed town.
And in those kind of places, once you enter, you would first get a bag full of the costume you're going to wear, the makeup you can have and also the bag ground story of your character.
I mean, it's not that complicated, but you do have a character.
You can be a scholar, you can be a merchant, you can even be a lady who's looking for her love, and you know a background story.
And Judged by your costume, people would know who you are by seeing people.
I mean, the real actors and they will interact with you.
And that is also happening in some of the performance dining experience we're talking about.
We have dinner theaters in Canada, but that's like a theater that serves food and the tickets tend to be quite expensive and the focus is on the theatrical performance and the food is kind of secondary, I think.
Here, though, you know, you talk about a popular hot pot chain.
This is like a restaurant first that's putting on a performance second.
So this isn't exactly the same thing.
I guess to me, it's a little bit reminiscent.
There's a place.
In New York City, it's called Ellen's Stardust Diner.
It's in Manhattan, and it's kind of a cool concept.
It's this classic diner where the waitstaff, they're called the Stardusters.
These are aspiring Broadway actors.
Wow.
And they sing while they work.
So to get into that restaurant?
Well for them see, they're there, but who knows who's going to eat there?
Some sort of talent agent, right?
They might get seen. while they're working as well.
But to be a customer there is extremely difficult.
It's almost impossible to get in to that restaurant.
So the concept... can be really, really successful if the performance is done really well.
And there are different levels of performance like you mentioned.
The performance is one of the most important elements, but there are Some can be a stunt.
I've heard about complaints about going into the place and the food is cold.
It's not as good and the performance is more of ordinary people putting on fancy clothes, but not a lot of acting or singing in it.
But there are also really good ones, the ones that is not only immersive, but even the storyline is kind of a detective related story and you need to be very much focused into the story instead of your food.
And people do not complain about the food.
I do not know if it's because of the distraction or the food is quite good as well.
But why are young people enjoying this?
It sounds exhausting to me.
But I think on one hand, it adds a bit of fun to your dining experience.
I think in Chinese, we have this 情绪价值.
Young people, they want emotional value from any experiences nowadays.
And it's not just for their social media.
They can take fancy pictures or post videos about their experience.
But also, this has become a curiosity for the novelty or something you haven't experienced before.
Because in the past, when we talk about dining, it's just eating your food.
But then nowadays, we have something else added to your experience.
And maybe for once in your lifetime.
You want to have that kind of experience and want to know what that experience can be like.
Yeah, it can be fun.
If you think about a first date, a first date can be stressful.
You don't want to talk to each other too much in case it's not going that well.
So if you go to a place like this, It gives you something else to pay attention to.
So that's one reason that young people might be interested in a place like this.
Also, now they're a lot more accessible.
Perhaps in the past they would have been really expensive to see these types of performances while you're eating your dinner more on the dinner theater side of things.
But now you're finding these spots at hot pot chains, at shopping mall restaurants.
So the accessibility is there as well.
Curiosity for young people simply might be one of the motivational factors.
Yes, and in this society we talk about more and more introvert people started to claim their existence in the society, saying that we want to enjoy a very quiet dinner without the interruption of the help.
And they have these kind of restaurants.
They can dine by themselves.
They do not have to talk to waiter or waitress.
They can order on an iPad and the food would go to them with a little train just in front of them, so no server would come.
And at the same time, the extrovert in society are still existing.
They are celebrating their life in the loudest voice they can, and maybe in these kind of performance dining places, And they get to not only enjoy the food but also interact with the players, with the actors, with the performers, maybe even with diners adjacent to their table.
I mean, getting repeat business might be hard though, because if it's scripted, what was the name of the?
The red chamber, something?
Oh, the dream of the red chamber.
So imagine that right, you go for the first time and they say welcome to the red chamber.
You're like oh, this is fun and exciting.
And then you go again on saturday and they're like welcome okay, just table please Yes.
That's why I think that this place, they need to like upgrade their scripts over from time to time.
Which is hard for the businesses if they're going to do that quite often.
Unless it's the kind of business mode that Steve mentioned.
It's a theater first, and now they bring food onto the table as well.
So that could be fun.
And as long as there is a business, there's always different types of food, getting their needs, getting their wishes met.
And that's always a good thing.
And I want the option to be out there, just in case one day I want my dinner to be enjoyable and a little bit tiring.
If you want your steak to sing.
That would be a good option for me.
