YINCHUAN — When English teacher Yan Lingjia, 37, joined a hike in the Tengger Desert in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region with her seven-year-old son, she expected a simple trip but instead found a personal awakening.

Over two days and one night, along with six other families, Yan and her son learned about desert plants, meditated under ancient trees, attended a singing bowl concert under the stars and took part in a "blind walk" where children guided their blindfolded parents.

At nearly 2,000 yuan ($280) per person, the cost exceeded that of a regular hike, but Yan considered it worthwhile.

"This experience has brought great enrichment to both me and my son, allowing us to feel the unique energy of the desert as well as inner peace and joy," Yan said.

Organizer Yang Li said most desert tourism focuses on fun, while her events blend mindfulness, family bonding and emotional repair. "Ordinary travel is a onetime experience, but my customers keep coming back, with some choosing to experience it once every year," she said.

This reflects a wider shift in China, where the healing economy, encompassing products and services designed to reduce stress and improve mental, emotional and physical well-being, is booming. The healing economy covers diverse sectors, including health tourism, mental health, healthy diet, nutrition and weight loss, and prevention and personalized medicine.

Shen Jun, chairman of Yudao Group, a Shanghai-based wellness company, defined healing as clearing inner blockages to restore balance. "The healing economy covers all related activities, and demand is surging due to social pressures," he said.

According to a 2018 white paper, 73.6 percent of urban residents in China faced mental sub-health. The government's Healthy China Initiative (2019-30) has set action goals for mental health promotion activities, such as mitigating the prevalence rate of insomnia and anxiety disorders.

A former consultant, Shen entered the healing field in 2023.He hosted four healing art festivals and a healing summit without advertising — and yet saw attendance soar. He later organized expos in East China's Shanghai; Shenzhen, Guangdong province and Chengdu, Sichuan province, attracting tens of thousands of visitors daily during peak hours.

The industry now merges ancient traditions like aromatherapy with modern tech — including artificial intelligence counselors and augmented reality meditation apps. On Chinese online shopping platforms, healing products range from essential oils, crystal bracelets to aromatherapy eye pillows, with many of them selling over a thousand units per month. Streaming platform Ximalaya reported 83 million healing music listeners in 2023.

Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, has seen a proliferation of healing centers, said singing bowl therapist Ma Shuxin.

Hotels there are re-branding around healing. Ningxia's Desert Star Hotel, fully booked year-round, offers sand therapy and sound healing.

Traditional culture, from traditional Chinese medicine to guqin music, is being integrated. "The future of healing in China must be rooted in culture," said Wu Qi, a TCM practitioner from Beijing, who has for over 20 years helped clients suffering with insomnia and fatigue.

For Yan, the hike in Ningxia meant reconnecting with nature, her son and herself. As China's healing economy grows — the quest for inner peace has become big business.

Xinhua