Chongqing - On October 22, Chongqing's Shapingba District hosted an event showcasing foreign-trade products from Chengdu and Chongqing and outlining plans to revitalize Sanxia Square, aiming to attract commercial investment, diversify retail offerings and make room for more overseas brands and imported products.
Guests attend the Sanxia Square business renewal conference. (Photo/The organizer)
The event brought together about 150 participants, including Philippine Consul General in Chongqing Ivan Frank M. Olea and representatives from investment firms, commercial operators, retail brands and other organizations, to explore investment opportunities and new shopping and lifestyle experiences.
Opening up space for new businesses
With its concentration of universities, established shopping venues and transport links, Sanxia Square has a strong foundation for attracting shoppers.
The renewal aims to build on these advantages by introducing more diverse retail, entertainment and cultural experiences, giving consumers more reasons to visit, stay and spend.
To help prospective tenants identify suitable locations and assess investment opportunities, organizers arranged site visits to key commercial properties before the event. A commercial space renewal plan, a list of available properties and targeted support measures were also released to facilitate investment and business development.
Representatives take part in a signing ceremony. (Photo/The organizer)
These efforts are beginning to generate commercial interest. Letters of intent were signed for ten projects covering cross-border e-commerce, entertainment, youth-oriented leisure and cultural retail. To sustain cooperation beyond the initial agreements, ten local businesses and operators also came together to establish the Sanxia Square Chamber of Commerce, creating a platform for coordinating resources and supporting the district's long-term development.
From foreign-trade products to overseas brands
An outdoor exhibition at Sanxia Square showcased products, including outdoor equipment, sporting goods, smart connected new-energy vehicles and local specialties. It brought the conference's trade theme into a public shopping setting, demonstrating how export-oriented products could also reach domestic customers.
Visitors walk through an outdoor exhibition of foreign-trade products at Sanxia Square. (Photo/The organizer)
More imported products and international retail offerings could give local shoppers additional choices while offering overseas suppliers a way to test demand in western China. Physical stores and product demonstrations could help unfamiliar brands build recognition, while cross-border e-commerce operators could link online orders with offline discovery. Regional exporters, meanwhile, would gain another potential domestic sales channel.
Connecting global trade routes with consumer demand
The redevelopment aligns with Chongqing's push to become an international consumption center. A package of 30 municipal measures introduced in 2026 supports commercial district upgrades, imported-goods platforms and first-store openings by domestic and overseas brands.
Shapingba is also home to an international logistics hub connected to China-Europe freight rail services and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. While those networks move goods across borders, Sanxia Square's renewal seeks to build a stronger consumer-facing end to Chongqing's trade ecosystem.
Shapingba will continue upgrading Sanxia Square and attracting new businesses, using its new chamber of commerce to help make the district a model for retail renewal.
Exhibitors present Qipao at the outdoor foreign-trade products showcase held at Sanxia Square. (Photo/The organizer)