Chongqing- Despite the pandemic affection and extremely long hot weather, the night markets in Chongqing have gradually regained their vitality. Currently, 60% of urban consumption occurs at night in Chongqing, a municipality in southwest China. 

Vibrant nightlife in Chongqing

On July 27, a long line of tourists was waiting at the Exploration Deck Viewing Gallery of Raffles City Chongqing to enjoy the night view. "Chongqing looks like such a beautiful scene in my mind," said Mr. Huang, a tourist from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.  

"Raffles City can meet tourists' one-stop needs for food, accommodation, travel, shopping, and entertainment," said a representative for Raffles City Chongqing. "Since this July, the overall passenger flow has recovered well, especially in the evenings." Compared with June, the mall visitor flow increased by 30%, and Crystal Skybridge visitor flow increased by 100%, with an average of 1,000 tourists per day.

While at another scenario at Ziwei Road in Yubei District, it is fully vibrant at night with all kinds of shops in high demand. Japanese food, Western food, bars, and Southeast Asian cuisine can be easily found on Ziwei Road.

On a chair in front of Funkoo Dinner pizza shop, Miss Zhang took pictures of her friends after work. "I think this shop is very exotic," Zhang said. "Aside from delicious food, you can take amazing pictures with friends to relax." 

"At present, Ziwei Road has settled in hundreds of businesses, with an average monthly passenger flow of 200,000 people and a monthly turnover of over 10 million yuan," said the relevant person in charge of Longta Subdistrict. "Ziwei Road used to be a street with auto repair and motorcycle accessories, but now it is a bustling landmark for consumption."

Since this July, the number of guests to Glass & Plate restaurant has increased significantly, and the sales have also boomed steadily, said Mr. Yu, the restaurant owner. Glass & Plate is a new western restaurant in Chongqing that offers full-time western dining and craft beer.

As a well-known night economy landmark in Chongqing, 9th Street also sees the consuming vitality. "The impact of the pandemic has significantly decreased customer flow in the first half of the year," said Miss Shi, manager of the 9th street restaurant Wednesday's Love Letter. "However, it has gradually recovered recently and reaches about 120 guests daily."

60% of urban consumption occurs at night

"To promote the night economy and build the international consumption center city, Chongqing has integrated the elements of mountains, rivers, bridges, and city and the unique Chongqing night scenes into the nightlife in recent years," said the relevant person in charge of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce. "Currently, 60 percent of Chongqing's urban consumption occurs at night."

Since the beginning of this year, Chongqing has been recovering its consumption through policies and activities. Chongqing will continue to upgrade and develop the Chongqing Night Life Festival, creating a consumption activity with distinctive characteristics, enriching the supply of night consumption, and further benefiting people's living quality.