It focused on creating a healthy tourism market that brings together academic research, research and development of products, the advertising and promotion of products and industrial partnerships.

It attracted more than 200 domestic and foreign exhibitors, including tourism and medical facilities, traditional Chinese medicine health tourism demonstration zones and health preservation and cosmetic medicine companies.

Guokaiyuan Wohu mountain villa in the Changping district in Beijing's north has become popular with those seeking leisure and traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

Yanshan and Wohu mountains and Shisanling Reservoir are near the villa, which can now take 200 - 300 people a day in the peak period, said Zhang Zihao, an information official for the villa, who was at the expo.

"Most of the people who visit the villa are in poor shape and they generally choose our traditional Chinese medicine massage, and special healthy cooking."

The villa also offers TCM diagnosis and treatment, guests usually staying for two or three days, at a cost of about 1,000 yuan.

Thirteen health tourism demonstration facilities now operate nationwide, including in Beidaihe in Hebei, Jiuhuashan in Anhui, Sanya in Hainan and Guilin in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Some regions began combining health and tourism several years ago. Nanjing, in Jiangsu, established an international TCM health and tourism program in 2015, the activities including TCM lectures and treatment and TCM tea drinking at the Nanjing National Medical Hall.