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Becoming Chinese starter kit: what to buy and costs

What you need to try the becoming Chinese trend, with UK and US prices for a flask, slippers, tea, rice, red dates and goji berries.

Updated 2026-10-11

You need very little to start the "becoming Chinese" trend. The core habits (hot water, slippers indoors, congee, earlier nights) can be done with a kettle, a pan and a pair of slippers you already own. If you want to buy the items seen in most videos, an insulated flask, house slippers and a bag of rice for congee cost about £44 in the UK or $72 in the US at the prices we checked in October 2026. Adding loose tea, goji berries and red dates brings that to about £64 or $124. Everything else is optional.

If you are new to the trend, start with the becoming Chinese hub or what does becoming Chinese mean.

What you actually need

The habits that appear most often, according to GoEast Mandarin, NBC News and PureWow, are:

Carrying a thermos of hot water
Wearing house slippers indoors
Eating congee and warm soups instead of salads
Drinking boiled apple water or tea with red dates and goji berries
Going to bed earlier and doing gentle morning movement

Only the first four involve buying anything, and only the flask and slippers are equipment.

Prices checked in October 2026

All prices below were taken from the retailer pages listed in the sources and checked in October 2026. Prices change often, and some were sale prices.

Essentials

Item	Why	UK example	US example
Insulated flask	Keeps water hot all day	Thermos Light and Compact 500ml, £20 (John Lewis)	Thermos 16oz Stainless King, $29.99 (Thermos)
House slippers	Keeping feet warm indoors	Faux fur lined suede mule slippers, £21 (Next)	dluxe by dearfoams Jess slide slippers, $35 (Target)
Rice for congee	Congee is rice simmered in plenty of water	Royal Umbrella Thai Jasmine Rice 1kg, £3.25 (Tesco)	Mahatma Jasmine Rice 5lb, $6.88 (Walmart)

Nice to have

Item	Why	UK example	US example
Loose jasmine tea	An alternative to plain hot water	Whittard Jasmine Loose Tea, £9.95 to £12.50	Whittard Jasmine Loose Leaf Tea 100g, $16.95
Goji berries (枸杞)	For apple and goji drinks, soups	Holland & Barrett Goji Berries 210g, £6.89	Made in Nature organic goji 7oz, $15.83, or 20oz, $21.07 (Walmart)
Red dates (红枣)	For apple and red date drinks, congee	Onkee Dried Jujube 300g, £2.99 on sale, usually £3.39 (Waso)	16oz dried red date slices, $18.99, or Royal Seafood 1lb, $27.24 (Walmart)

Optional extras

Item	Notes	UK example	US example
Gua sha tool	Seen in beauty-routine videos	From £11.24 (brushworks resin roller and gua sha) to £64 at Lookfantastic	Mount Lai jade gua sha, $23.99 at Thrive Market (out of stock when checked)
Tang-style jacket	Fashion side of the trend	Not priced	Complex reported a $150 retail price for Adidas' version

Budget table

Budget	What it covers	UK total	US total
Free	Kettle, pan, slippers and mugs you already own; earlier bedtime	£0	$0
Basic	Flask, slippers, rice	about £44	about $72
Full kitchen	Basic plus tea, goji (smallest pack listed above) and red dates	about £64	about $124

The US total is higher mainly because the red dates and goji listed on Walmart cost more than the UK examples. PureWow mentions shopping for jujubes at H Mart, so Asian supermarkets are worth checking, but we have not quoted their prices because we did not check them.

Choosing each item

Flask

Any insulated stainless steel flask works. The John Lewis listing says the Thermos 500ml keeps drinks hot for up to 24 hours, and Thermos says the 16oz Stainless King keeps them hot for up to 18 hours; these are maker claims. One safety point: the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies drinks above 65°C as probably carcinogenic, so let freshly boiled water cool before you drink it.

Slippers

Cheap mules are the look in many videos, but an NHS trust's falls-prevention guidance treats backless or badly fitting slippers as a falls risk for people who are not steady on their feet. It recommends a secure fastening, a firm sole and a low, wide heel. If anyone at home is older or unsteady, buy full-back slippers.

Rice for congee

Plain congee is just rice cooked slowly in lots of water. Jasmine rice is easy to find in both countries, and a single bag will last many breakfasts. You do not need a special pot.

Tea, red dates and goji

These are for the drinks seen in the trend, such as apple water simmered with red dates and goji. GoEast Mandarin gives a simple method: apples, goji and red dates in a pan of water, simmered on low heat for about 20 minutes. The NHS points out that herbal and complementary products are not tested in the same way as standard medicines, so if you take regular medicines, check with a pharmacist before having them often. For the background and evidence, see becoming Chinese habits explained.

Gua sha and other treatments

A gua sha tool is optional and evidence for health benefits is limited. Do not buy cupping sets to use at home on the strength of a video: the risks are covered in the habits guide.

The Tang jacket

Complex reported that Adidas' track jacket with Chinese knot buttons was reselling for double its $150 retail price before its wider release, and LBB Online reported resale prices of up to $400. It is not needed to join in, and LBB's writer argues that the jacket's history tends to get lost when it becomes a hype item.

What you can skip

Branded "becoming Chinese" kits or bundles. Everything here is an ordinary grocery or household item.
Expensive slippers. Next lists UGG slippers from £90; a £21 pair does the same job.
Supplements and herbal medicines. These are not part of the everyday habits and carry more risk.

A respectful start

Buying a flask is the easy part. The habits in this trend are everyday life for many Chinese families, and some Chinese-American writers have said it is uncomfortable to see them sold back as a trend. Learning why the habits exist, and following Chinese creators who explain them, makes the kit more than a prop.

General information only. Prices were checked in October 2026 and will change; check the retailer before buying. For health questions, ask your GP or pharmacist.