"At it's core, it is a practice of making choices and deciding on the things one really needs," Chen says.

Danshari, even before it was translated into Chinese, has inspired many Chinese women who found themselves caught in a trap of consumerism.

"Learn to do subtraction and enjoy freedom, that's the essence of the idea," says Hideko Yamashita, who has heard many similar tales of drastic change from her Chinese followers.

In Japan, as well as China, people are in an age of overload of everything and so they become burdened, says Yamashita, who has visited China twice and experienced a country that is "crammed" with "explosive growth".

"Having so many things will close you off from the happiness you are really looking for. That lifestyle has got to change," Yamashita wrote.

Zhong Li, a 50-year-old training management executive, says she has found peace through danshari.

"Nobody living in this age can get away from anxiety. There are just too many things for you to worry about," she says. "But practicing danshari is like doing yoga for one's spiritual life and I'm so much happier afterwards."

She has dumped 50 percent of all her belongings, which is typical for practitioners, many of whom have already set up online clubs to share their experiences and trade things they no longer want.

"If you have ever opened a full closet and found nothing to wear, or stayed with a boyfriend you are no longer in love with, let go of them and try danshari," Yamashita told a packed room of anxious urbanites on a recent visit to Beijing.

"Get rid of the unwanted things so you can build up what you really want."

As for Chen, her wardrobe now consists of two changes of comfortable clothes and a wind breaker. She also has unending creative ideas to put down on paper.

"I'm happy and I feel things so much more," she says.