Nighttime economy sparks urban vitality

As night falls, the aroma of freshly made street food wafts through the air at the Minxin Jiayuan Night Market. The bustling tourism spot, popular with local residents and visitors, is an epitome of the nighttime vitality in Chongqing.

On top of the wide range of food, the far-reaching reputation of Minxin Jiayuan is due in part to a slew of stall owners that are hosting live-streams on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) while serving food. Some of these stall owners are now influential creators on the platform.

Yang Long, a roast beef stall owner whose maximum views surpassed 100 thousand, said that customers started queuing at his stall after 3 months of live-streaming, with many of his customers coming from outside Chongqing. His stall brings in a monthly income of 40,000 to 50,000 yuan ($19,650), according to Yang.

Over this year's Spring Festival, the market set up a special food-tasting area that allowed customers to try signature dishes.

Danba Zhaxi is a stall owner who serves spicy frog, a local delicacy. "I used to be a traveler in Chongqing and chose to stay as I love the scenery and the food here. Naturally, I am happy to see more travelers having a pleasant experience here," he said.

Zhao Ying, a tourist from Hunan Province, said that the tasting area promotes the food and shows the hospitality of the stall owners. "Great food and hospitable owners make my trip a worthy one," she said.

Nighttime vitality has always been part of this famous tourist city's charm. For 4 consecutive years, Chongqing has ranked first in China's top 10 most influential cities regarding nighttime economy. Backed up by data from major travel agencies in China, Chongqing is also one of the top 10 travel destinations in the country. This Spring Festival, the city registered 2.38 million overnight visits, up 66.9 percent year-on-year, and its consumer spending surged by 12.4 percent.

Among over 80 nighttime markets and blocks in the city, many offer a one-stop experience that features performances, entertainment, shopping, and food.

Chongqing Happy Valley, a popular theme park, has made nightlife one of its signature visitor magnets. The park organizes themed parties, intangible cultural heritage performances, and music festivals year-round to increase foot traffic. For instance, with the opening of the HVE music festival, the park saw a maximum daily visitor throughput of 40,000, and 40 percent of this total were nighttime visitors.

To accelerate the development of the nighttime economy, interactive experiences and product diversity could be the key, according to Liao Chenglin, a professor of economics and business administration at Chongqing University. It is critical to achieve deep integration between the nighttime economy and culture in order to create new interactive scenarios, he said.