Beike Finance Lounge | Amid the craze of the experience economy, why has healing become a new-generation necessity?

Ask AI · What key challenges does AI-enabled healing face?

Labubu figurines, crystal bracelets, perfume, Shoushan stone, Hetian jade… At a Beike Finance salon in the Shell Finance guest lounge, the guests showcased their own “healing tools,” presenting this emerging consumer trend in a direct way.

In recent years, with upgrading consumption structures and the reshaping of lifestyles, the “experience economy” has been becoming an important force driving consumption. Against the backdrop of expanding domestic demand, promoting service consumption, and cultivating new business formats, every industry is looking for new growth points. Among them, the “healing economy,” centered on emotional value and physical and mental health, is accelerating into view and is becoming an important new segment within the experience economy.

On March 31, Xinjing News Beike Finance guest lounge, together with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Financial Strategy Research, held a salon titled “A New Blue Ocean for Leisure Healing under the Experience Economy.” The event released the “Research Report on the Experience Economy and Leisure Healing.” Academic and industry guests discussed topics such as “Who is paying for healing?” and “How can healing consumption take root?” Together, they painted a picture of the reality and future opportunities of healing consumption within the experience economy.

Guests attending included Wei Xiang, a professor at the Business School of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Xu Zhongwei, a professor at Beijing Second Foreign Studies University; Chen Xianyiying, an associate researcher at the School of Cultural Industry Management, Communication University of China; Xiao Tingting, an associate researcher at the Institute of Chinese Labor and Social Security Studies under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security; as well as expert representatives from various industries.

The underestimated healing economy is not just “paying for emotions”

“We need a human capital development path that is more resilient, more sustainable, and more in line with the demands of the digital era, and leisure healing is right at the intersection of this new path.” As the experience economy thrives and emotional value becomes a keyword in consumption, “healing” is becoming an important bridge connecting real needs with industry innovation. At the Beike Finance guest lounge, a research team from the Business School of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences released the “Research Report on the Experience Economy and Leisure Healing,” interpreted on-site by team members Mr. Yingxiu Qun and Dr. Chen Xia.

The report points out that China is in a critical period of high-quality development, and “investing in people” has been elevated to the national strategy level. But against the backdrop of the accelerating evolution of digitization and intelligence, the traditional human capital model centered on cognitive skills is facing pressure from diminishing marginal returns. Therefore, leisure healing is not only a lifestyle topic, but a question of how to rebuild the quality of human capital in the new era.

The report lays out the evolution of “healing” from medical assistance to a mainstream lifestyle: from alleviating ailments, to stress management and emotional adjustment, and then to broader “leisure healing” scenarios such as aromatherapy and outdoor activities—forming a complete system for managing physical and mental well-being covering daily life.

Why has healing consumption surged in this round of consumption upgrading? The research team believes healing is not because “people are more emotionally fragile,” but because it naturally fits the three major features of the experience economy—immersion, participation, and interaction. It is precisely these features that enable it to reach people’s “deep systems,” regulate their inner state, train non-cognitive abilities, and further feed back into learning ability, creativity, and social adaptability.

One key innovation proposed at the salon is to re-interpret healing within the human capital model. The traditional model emphasizes classroom learning; the new model emphasizes a dual-wheel drive of “cognitive ability + non-cognitive ability.” Non-cognitive abilities such as emotional management, motivation, character, and social skills are precisely the core domain of leisure healing. The report states that “leisure healing has long been regarded as soft consumption, but in fact it is an underestimated field for generating informal capabilities.”

From an economic perspective, the report proposes two paths for healing. The first is the path of physical and mental health—for example, relieving stress and improving sleep—variables that are often “the easiest to overlook, yet the ones that most affect productivity.” The second is the path of capability growth, including non-cognitive abilities such as aesthetics, attention, sense of responsibility, and communication skills, which are often naturally generated in cultural settings, natural spaces, and art experiences.

The research also shows that the healing economy is presenting three major trends: medical technology extending into home scenarios, deep integration between AI and digital healing, and the formation of an ecosystem through cross-regional coordination. Meanwhile, the research team put forward five policy recommendations, including building an industry standards system, supporting digital innovation, improving people’s livelihood security, training professional talent, and promoting regional linkages.

In today’s context, where the experience economy is accelerating and consumption logic driven by emotional value is being reshaped, the healing economy is moving from “soft consumption” toward “an essential demand of the times.” In the future, it may become an important new driving force for promoting sustainable economic and social development.

When emotional value becomes a must-have, the healing economy enters the “mainstreaming” era

“Healing is no longer niche luxury consumption; it is an ability that everyone invests in.” At the salon, multiple experts and corporate guests agreed that the healing economy is entering a “mainstreaming” era.

Wei Xiang, Professor at the Business School of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Wei Xiang, Professor at the Business School of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the audience for healing is no longer limited to niche groups: “Different groups focus on different directions of healing. Some people hope to improve cognitive abilities, while others pay more attention to emotional intelligence, social networks, and psychological resilience.” This means healing is no longer a high-priced choice for a small number of consumers; the concept of “investing in people” is being recognized by an increasing number of consumers.

Xu Zhongwei, Professor at Beijing Second Foreign Studies University.

“Playing with fragrance today, sand painting tomorrow, staying while traveling the day after—that is a true snapshot of the new consumer era.” Xu Zhongwei, Professor at Beijing Second Foreign Studies University, believes that leisure and healing consumption today is highly changeable; users’ interests switch instantly, and repeat purchase rates are hard to rely on a single product. He suggests that industry development may follow two paths: a “Mediterranean club-style” brand bundling approach, integrating core experiences into a unified brand and using the brand to reduce experience anxiety; or deep verticalization, building a specialized IP to meet the needs of specific groups.

Wei Xiang further added that in healing consumption scenarios, at the operational level, loyalty to individual products declines, but identification with a lifestyle is becoming a new consumer bond: “Customers may not buy the same services, but they will form a generalized recognition of taste.”

“This kind of experience-based consumption is shaping a new value chain, allowing consumers to feel satisfied psychologically and emotionally.” In the homestay industry, the healing economy has already shown a mainstreaming trend. Li Le, PR Director of Tujia, said, “Post-95 and Post-00 consumers are willing to pay for experiences, women account for about 60%, and demand from parent-child and older-adult groups is clearly increasing.” “Homestay themes are becoming more and more refined—from sports, to art, to natural socializing. By creating immersive experiences through details, homestays not only provide accommodation, but also become small-scale destinations and healing scenarios.”

In the aviation industry, services are adding more emotional experiences driven by passenger needs. Tao Lei, Deputy Head of the Party Committee Work Department of China Southern Airlines Beijing Branch, said that passenger needs vary in how they are expressed. For groups such as children and elderly people who need companionship, anxiety can be alleviated through refined, warm services. Optimizing processes and improving efficiency can further reduce travel stress. “Our mission is to let more people enjoy a wonderful flight. We hope to provide passengers with a great travel experience through safe, comfortable, and convenient services.”

The toy market also shows unique value in the healing economy. Liu Haixing, PR Director of the 52TOYS brand, believes that adults are also an audience for the healing economy. The brand’s mission is “to make life a bit more fun,” and it delivers a sense of healing through playful and enjoyable products. “Products that can trigger emotional resonance are an important medium for emotional healing.”

“Perfume and fragrance are not only consumer goods; they also become an important medium for awakening the self and releasing emotions.” The fragrance economy is also an important entry point for healing. Gu Weiyue, Marketing Director of Yingtong Group, said that fragrance can be integrated into daily life anywhere, providing psychological comfort for different groups. In addition, Pan Jingwen, Sales Director of Shiculture Industry Development Co., Ltd. under Poly International, said that Shoushan stone carries China’s traditional carving culture and auspicious meanings. Its natural tactile feel and the process of handling and playing with it is itself a healing way to cultivate calmness.

All the guests at the scene agreed that “healing is investing in people and also a new driving force for social development.” From homestays to aviation, from trendy toys to fragrance, the healing economy is breaking through the boundaries of traditional understanding and showing diverse trends of “mainstreaming, refinement, and lifestyle orientation.” It can be said that today, when emotional value has become a key word in new consumption, everyone is paying for healing, and the market is also continuously responding to this demand through innovative services.

Can AI help you heal? AI-enabled healing still has a long way to go

Today, with AI developing at high speed, “AI + healing” has become a topic that can’t be avoided—does intelligence truly empower healing, or is it just a bubble after the hype?

Chen Xianyiying, Associate Researcher at the School of Cultural Industry Management, Communication University of China.

“The value that truly remains for human beings in the future lies in emotional connection, and the ability to make judgments in an unpredictable environment.” Chen Xianyiying, Associate Researcher at the School of Cultural Industry Management, Communication University of China, pointed out that human anxiety in the AI era is more concentrated on uncertainty in jobs and abilities. Regarding healing consumption, she believes different groups have different consumption logics, but emotional outlets and social recognition are shared. “Although AI companion products are new and novel, the sense of continuous companionship is still insufficient; emotional needs need to be matched with greater precision.”

Wei Xiang believes that AI companion robots are extending healing from mental experiences to health management and high-tech scenarios. For example, in Shanghai, some companies have used large models for children’s interaction, showing that healing is becoming a key scenario for AI innovation trials. “There’s no problem technically combining AI with healing, but it needs to overcome issues with sustained sales and super-emotional computing resources.”

In actual industry applications, AI is more often supportive rather than a replacement. Li Le, based on the homestay industry, said that the core of healing still lies in emotional connection between people. “Sometimes customers don’t need complex technology; emotional companionship is irreplaceable.” But she also emphasized that through AI digital technology, emotional connection between people and spaces, landlords and guests can be strengthened. From the toy industry perspective, Liu Haixing said that at present, AI is a tool rather than a product itself. She mentioned that toys with AI functions have existed for years, but they have not truly formed a trend of sustained development, indicating that technology can only assist experiences and cannot become the core selling point of healing.

“AI-enabled healing still has a long way to go, but the efficiency and matching improvement it provides is becoming an important direction the industry is exploring.” Qun Yixiu added that AI’s role in healing scenarios is more in data analysis and precise matching. By monitoring user behavior and preferences, AI can objectively recommend the most suitable healing approach, realizing personalized matching.

Xinjing News Beike Finance reporter Qu Xiaoyi

Photography Li Xuehao

Editor Yue Caizhou

Proofreading Mu Xiangtong