Xu Haoyu

designer team.

She gets to take a break when the clothes are in the process of production. It’s then she calls on her friends to play mahjong.

Together with a large kettle, her cup of chrysanthemum tea is placed on a table that’s close at hand, but, as a fan of the energy drink, Red Bull, the cup does not get drained and refilled much. Instead, the table always ends up crowded with Red Bull cans.

“I want to feel more energetic and excited while I’m playing mahjong. It helps me to win and enjoy the game,” Zhao explains.

Excitement, or a good rest, after work is considered to be necessary as an easy escape from the pressures of daily life.

Ning Nanke, 26 years old, was born in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Because of the humid climate, like many local residents, Ning also has an awareness to eat healthily, and for instance, developed a habit of eating chillies to “clear inner dampness”.

The attention she pays to her health, however, does not stop her from smoking. She lit up her first cigarette one year ago — on a day she found herself stressed out by a lot of writing assignments — and she soon became addicted, finding the habit relaxing.

“Smoking is my personal sustenance,” she says, “just like I’m obsessed with chillies.” She also shares a secret: “I met a guy I had a crush on, a colleague, when a bunch of us were smoking together,” she admits furtively. “So, if I keep smoking, I always have a good excuse to meet up and spend time with him.”

Ning considers mental stress as the biggest reason for her nicotine habit. “The problems and challenges in life don’t give me a headache as long as I’m in a healthy mood. I choose to eliminate the pressure that puts me in a bad mood by smoking.”

However, while it’s easy to enjoy the pleasure, it can be very difficult to put an end to it once it becomes excessive.

Ning has taken to smoking every half an hour, even at work, finishing a packet a day.

Solutions at hand

Despite over indulging themselves, many young people are paying attention to their health, taking note of the harm that some of their habits can bring, and taking steps to reduce the risks, while still enjoying their vices.

Chi Zhijie, 22 years old, from Fujian province, is a fitness fanatic. He goes to the gym at least five times a week to keep fit and confident, but also for his health, as he was born with a weak immune system.

However, he does not say no to drinking at parties, even when he knows that the alcohol absorbs the water in his body and weakens the muscle.

Chi says: “I work hard to accumulate some capital of health, so I can exchange it for the enjoyment of drinking with friends sometimes.”

Ning did the phone interview while she was smoking and drinking nutritious white fungus soup.

She also mentions that she decided to get inoculated against HPV in Hong Kong, which costs over 7,000 Hong Kong dollars ($893), after she found that smoking raises the risk of contracting it. She signed up for vaccination in March, and her reservation is booked for August.

“I know that some of my habits are harmful, so in order to avoid murdering myself, I have to make up for it in some other way,” she concludes, vocalizing the mantra of many other health-preserving punks.