The list of Chinese New Year greetings seems endless, but we’d like to say that this is the most important one: 身体健康 (shen ti jian kang)—which means “good health.”
It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, this greeting is one of the most common greetings and with good reason: you need to be healthy to live a happy, long life. And while there are many ways to stay healthy, some turn to Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) to live up to that greeting.
However, there has been a decline in the popularity of TCM, and it has pushed many to find a way to make their business more “palatable” to a new, younger audience.
From incorporating traditional medicinal herbs to create one-of-a-kind drinks to digitalising their business to sustain, we have shortlisted five local businesses attempting to keep TCM alive in a new age.
1. Synthesis
Located just outside Suntec City Mall, Synthesis is a speakeasy bar and restaurant known for its TCM-inspired food and beverages. First opened in March 2023, its F&B offerings follow the Five Elements referenced in traditional Chinese medicine: Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Metal.
In his previous interview with Vulcan Post, Sebastian Ang, the founder, shared that the inspiration behind Synthesis was born from his childhood memories, specifically from his time spent with his grandmother working at a TCM shop on Kampong Kayu Road.
“My childhood memories of spending time at the TCM hall inspired us to encapsulate the essence of traditional Chinese medicine [in Synthesis], which blends the best qualities of various ingredients to boost overall wellbeing.”
2. Cha Mulan
The only hawker on our list, Cha Mulan specialises in using TCM ingredients for their drinks, which could be described as an in-between of bubble tea and cheng tng.
According to a 2024 article by Hungrygowhere, the business was owned and founded by then-29-year-old Kenneth Teo. The ex-fine dining chef shared that he started Cha Mulan (also known as The Flower Mulan) out of his girlfriend’s love of bubble tea and wanted to create a healthier version of it.
The article also stated that the business uses ingredients including snow fungus and peach gum made from scratch every day for their drinks—instead of using mass-produced ingredients, which is common for other tong suis.
3. Bliss Nest Capsules
Unlike the other businesses in the list, Bliss Nest Capsules focuses on one titular ingredient for their drinks—bird’s nest.
According to a listicle by Eu Yan Sang, bird’s nest is one of the more popular tonics and is traditionally seen as a beauty food. However, in a past interview with Vulcan Post, Wang Jun Han, founder of Bliss Nest Capsules, shared that the tonic has become less popular amongst the young.
This led him to incorporate bird’s nest to provide a healthier version of bubble tea, and it received much fanfare during its final “test” at Takashimaya Food Fair 2023, allowing the brand to set up shop at Vivo City.
4. Specture
While we often do not associate alcohol with “mental wellness,” given its association with vices like addiction, Specture is a bar that attempts to put a positive on that narrative, and it starts with their drinks.
Speaking to The Straits Times, Andrew Pang, co-founder of the bar, shared that he consulted a TCM practitioner to develop his cocktail menu, which included a “snake soup and mezcal” cocktail.
Traditionally, snake soup is believed to boost immunity and warm the body, especially during the colder seasons.
Aside from its drink offerings, Specture prides itself on being a “mental wellness bar,” offering free therapy services and hosting workshops such as art jams.
5. Heng Foh Tong
As medicine continues to evolve along with the modernisation of society, traditional TCM medicinal halls have found their businesses dwindling. That is, except for Heng Foh Tong.
While the business still stuck to its roots with its medicinal hall at Bukit Batok, it has also digitalised its operations following the COVID-19 pandemic and even collaborated with Nanyang Polytechnic in launching TCM vending machines.
Aside from purchasing packaged herbs and goods such as lozenges and herbal sweets, customers can also get a prescription online via their website.
In addition, Heng Foh Tong has launched its line of herbal drinks, HFTea and in a 2022 interview with AsiaOne, Lee Heng Sheng, the fifth-generation owner of the business, shared that they aimed to make herbal tea “a youngster’s drink.”
Different drinks vary in their components and are targeted at different consumers. For example, they created a Ginseng and Himalayan salt drink that is said to be a “natural” version of Pocari, and it targets the Fitspo crowd looking for a recovery drink.
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They say that “health is forever,” and while many “old-school” industries attempt to modernise along with the times, TCM can only live to exist if businesses continue to adapt to the current generation’s needs.
Some might argue that this would dilute the old traditions of TCM, but we’d like to believe that businesses, like our five inductees, are playing their roles in keeping it alive in Singapore.
How long will it continue to last? We’d have to live to see it.
- Read more articles we have written on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Synthesis / Hungrygowhere / Bliss Nest Capsules
