As the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic gradually lifted across China, I found myself propelled into a realm of exploration, an odyssey that transcended the boundaries of confinement and embraced beauty and culture.

Her company, Weige Confinement Service Center, employs nurses rather than midwives or matrons to provide 24-hour one-on-one professional service.

Months of virtual confinement indoors due to epidemic-related lockdowns and restrictions on physical movements meant that "return to normal" would spark demand for outdoor experiences that are "free, private and independent".

The postpartum rehabilitation market is expected to boom, and healthcare facilities are expected to play a crucial role in the transition from the Chinese traditional custom of zuo yue zi, or "postpartum confinement" to modern postpartum rehabilitation, according to a recently released white paper on the issue.

Ninety-nine percent of respondents thought postpartum confinement is necessary, and 14 percent of women, who are more likely to have higher education and older age, would seek professional postpartum rehabilitation service, according to the paper.