(Beijing) Soft light, sofa beds and soothing bells: During the lunch break in a relaxation institute in Beijing, Xuan Yi, often exhausted like many young Chinese people under pressure, finally manages to fall asleep.
Posted yesterday at 6:58 am.
QIAN Ye and Greg BAKER Agence France-Presse
The young woman is one of around 300 million Chinese women who suffer from insomnia, particularly due to the stress of working in the country's large, densely populated cities.
Xuan Yi (pronounced “Suane-Yi”) has tried everything to sleep better, from consulting a psychologist to using essential oils, she tells AFP.
“I felt a lot of pressure in the office. Sometimes, because I had a lot of work or was anxious, I wouldn't fall asleep until 2 or 3 a.m. And I have to get up at 7 a.m. to go back to work,” she explains.
“I also worked on weekends. That's why I didn't sleep well for a long time. »
But when the curtains in owner Li Yan's “sound healing workshop” were drawn and the “singing bowls”, small upside-down bells, began to spread their gentle vibrations, the young woman dozed off without any problem.
“Charge your battery”
To the sounds of a gong, a “rainstick,” or even a “handpan,” instruments that emit soothing sounds, Xuan Yi and the other participants in the session fall into a sweet sleep.
PHOTO GREG BAKER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LiYan
Fifty minutes later, they rise by candlelight, largely relieved of their stress, all for the price of 180 yuan ($34) per session.
“Dozens of people who are a little tense come here to lie down. They want to give their brain a little break,” Li Yan (pronounced “Li Iène”) tells AFP.
PHOTO GREG BAKER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LiYan
“It's like charging your phone battery from 3% to 100%. »
They tell him about the “pressure,” “anxiety,” or “sleeplessness” they are experiencing, she explains.
She says she often receives calls from clients who are at the end of their tether.
“They tell me: I have to come immediately, in half an hour, I’m so tired,” says Li Yan.
Many of them work in new technology and the Internet, a sector where rates of depression and anxiety are among the highest in the country, according to a national health report.
A luxury
She calls her sessions “Tangping Concerts,” after a term popularized in China in recent years. It literally means “to lie on your back,” but can be translated as “renunciation”: giving up a big career and money to focus on a simple life.
PHOTO GREG BAKER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Surrounded by office buildings in central Beijing, Li Yan's relaxation workshop offers time slots tailored to the busy schedules of young, active city dwellers.
“Many emotions and problems come to the surface and people have to face their inner self,” says Li Yan.
In a country where many play video games or shop to relax, “relaxation and happiness are a luxury.”
For Xuan Yi, the money spent on these sessions is worth it.
“If I didn’t pay for these relaxation sessions, I might have to pay a doctor,” she philosophizes.