Fire cupping is an acupressure technique used in traditional Chinese medicine and known in Chinese as ba guan zi. In this practice a partial vacuum is created in a cupping glass or jar known as ba guan, usually by means of heat, which is then applied directly to the skin, sucking the underlying tissue up into the jar. This forms an area of blood stasis and bruises the area. This man in Beijing has purplish round marks of a recent treatment on his back.