White-collar workers that, on their own initiative, formed an environmental protection team to clear trash from the Great Wall.	A young man enjoying simple pleasures in a Nanjing park.	Hundreds of Beijing citizens support the call for fewer cars on the road by joining a free cycling activity.

DAILY-LIFE habits such as taking public transit, eating organic food, wearing clothes made from natural fibers and buying second-hand are becoming commonplace among Chinese professionals.

The Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) is a concept first raised by American sociologist Paul Ray in 1998. To date, a total 68 million Americans, 80 million EU citizens, and an unspecified but increasing number of urban Chinese dwellers live the LOHAS way.

One is Wang Xi, a 32-year-old editor. At the time she studied in Canada, three years ago, she was, as she describes it, impulsive in the sense of looking no further ahead than her next fashion purchase, and intent upon keeping up with Joneses. She encountered a completely different lifestyle in Canada -- that of being relatively well-to-do yet simple, happy and contented, rather than complex, stressful and obsessive.

Wang came to accept as normal the social phenomenon she observed in Canada, whereby residents of affluent districts take public transit, shopp at flea markets, and generally base their lifestyles on the principles of health, thrift and environmental awareness. This amicable and positive attitude moved Wang to abandon her former living concept and go LOHAS.

Having forsworn her mini-skirted, made-up, chic chick image, Wang wears simple, comfortable garments made of natural fibers. She no longer uses cosmetics, being content with basic skincare, and, having no car, travels by subway. Her hobbies have changed from window-shopping and beauty therapy to yoga and ecotours with her family.

“LOHAS is both a lifestyle and an attitude,” Wang Xi explains. “Since taking it up I am generally much calmer, having chosen to enjoy my life in an environmentally friendly way rather than continuing to forge blindly ahead.”

There is a growing group of young professionals in China’s metropolises that, jaded with unreasonable work demands that trigger compensatory and excessive consumption, long for a life of purity and simplicity. They are aware that the science and industry that have revolutionized lifestyle modes at the same time threaten the environment and the earth’s natural resources. They, and many others, are cognizant of the urgency of this problem, especially in China.

China’s petroleum reserves will be depleted in just ten years, according to 2004 statistics. It was this prospect that actually prompted the LOHAS trend.

Dr. Shen Li of the Comparative Education Institute of Beijing Normal University believes that the LOHAS mindset developed from a period of introspection by the affluent strata of society upon tiring of its high-pressure, extravagant lifestyle. The LOHAS concept of treating oneself well and the environment respectfully, therefore, had great appeal, and has become widely accepted, among China’s urban residents.

The expansion of LOHAS devotees has engendered a LOHAS economy, featuring primordial ecotourism and home country cooking, and organic and non-accretion foods. The LOHAS City store in Beijing sells foodstuffs and daily-life articles that are all organically produced.

Its founder, Zhuang Yameng tells us: “Beyond just selling products, we also promote a specific attitude towards life. I consider the store as a way of giving more people the chance to lead a healthy lifestyle. It’s hard work, but an exciting challenge.”

The LOHAS concept also influences the Chinese automobile industry. The electric car F3e produced by Shenzhen BYD Auto Company is powered by an environmental-friendly ET (Environment Technology)-powered battery.

The LOHAS concept is also manifest in the latest architectural trends, in tandem with LOHAS all-round practical equipment, such as organic waste disposal and rainwater storage systems.

Sociologists believe that LOHAS alludes strongly to traditional Chinese culture. The Confucian principle of the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature accords perfectly with the LOHAS concept of humanity’s obligations towards the environment. LOHAS, moreover, endorses the Chinese traditional lifestyle of calmness and healthiness. The LOHAS spirit, therefore, may be considered as combining Western post-industrial trends and the traditional Chinese mode of life. One hopes that it may become the norm during the 21st century.