Non-drug therapies such as tai chi have played an important role in helping residents of Shanghai's compulsory rehabilitation centers overcome their drug habits, a top official said on Wednesday.

Shanghai became the first city in the country to adopt tai chi practice in all its five rehabilitation centers in 2015. Nearly all center residents take part, apart from those physically unable to, said Wang Dongsheng, Party secretary of the Shanghai Drug Rehabilitation Administration.

Auto-acupressure - an alternative therapy in which people self-administer pressure with their fingers or hands to certain points known as "meridians" - was also adopted in centers about five years ago, he told a media briefing ahead of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26.