Chongqing - The Douyin Life Hotpot Season Boiling Carnival and Chongqing 10,000-Person Hotpot Festival recently opened at Chaotianmen Square, featuring a massive communal banquet and an immersive market with product displays, tastings, and interactive experiences.

Visitors gather at Chaotianmen Square on December 19 for the opening of the Douyin Life Hotpot Season Boiling Carnival and Chongqing 10,000-Person Hotpot Festival. (Photo/Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce)

Local officials said the event aimed to deepen the integration of content and scenario, creating a consumption model that links online traffic with on-site experiences and supporting Chongqing's push to build itself into an international consumption center city.

The timing is notable. In late November, China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce separately published draft lists of cities selected for two pilots: one focused on new business formats, models, and consumption scenarios, and another aimed at improving internationalized consumption environments. Chongqing appeared on both lists, making it one of a small number of cities shortlisted for both programs.

The dual pilots build on a national push launched in 2021, when China's State Council tapped Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Chongqing to develop international consumption center cities. According to the Ministry of Commerce, the five cities now account for more than one-eighth of China's retail sales, over half of imported consumer goods, and about 70% of nationwide departure tax-refund sales.

Officials and policy researchers have framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to raise inbound visitor spending. Data shows inbound consumption by overseas travelers accounted for about 0.5% of China's GDP in 2024, compared with 1% to 3% in major economies.

In Chongqing, one of the most visible policy tools has been streamlining tax refunds for departing overseas travelers. "Shopping in Chongqing is so convenient!" said German visitor Thomas Müller at a refund counter in Chongqing's MixC mall, praising a "refund-upon-purchase" service after receiving more than 3,000 yuan in tax refunds.

Chongqing's tax authorities began setting up centralized "refund-upon-purchase" service points in August in key shopping areas, including Jiefangbei, Chaotianmen, and MixC, shifting from store-by-store processing to district-level handling. Officials said the redesign expanded coverage and reduced the need for individual stores to hold large amounts of cash for refunds.

Data cited by local authorities show that in the first three quarters, the number of overseas travelers using Chongqing's departure tax refund system rose 518% year-on-year, while refund payouts increased nearly fivefold. By late October, the city had 258 tax-refund shops, including 50 offering "refund-upon-purchase."

Payment access is another focus for an internationalized shopping environment. Officials have pointed to foreign-currency exchange machines covering all of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport's Terminal 3, support for 18 currencies, and foreign-card POS coverage of about 98% in major tourist areas such as Jiefangbei and Hongyadong, alongside more than 120,000 merchants connected to international versions of Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Chongqing's multi-level mountain city streetscape, often described domestically as "8D" to convey the dense layering of roads, stairs, and buildings, is a basis for developing new retail and tourism settings. At Mountain City Alley in Yuzhong District, visitor Lin Wei from Guangzhou said, "Look! The moment the lanterns light up, the whole alley feels like it's been cast with magic."

The alley's transformation followed urban renewal work that repaired older buildings and added small cultural and creative shops, turning a previously deteriorated area into a new consumption scene. 

Brand rollouts are also being used to expand the first-store economy. During China's National Day holiday period, Chongqing reported a wave of first stores, first product launches, first shows, and first exhibitions, alongside new flagship openings and pop-up experiences. A representative of an international cosmetics brand said, "We are optimistic about Chongqing's large consumption potential, young customer base, and its role as a gateway in western China."

Local data show that Chongqing has introduced more than 2,200 well-known domestic and international brands, and ranked among China's top four cities for the number of newly opened first stores in the first half of the year.