Domestic demand boosts summer consumption

People eat at a food stall of a commercial street in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, June 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

As night falls, the cultural and creative market in Baishamen Park in Haikou city, south China's Hainan province, comes alive. Ms. Zheng and her family from Henan come here for the first time to spend their vacation. "There are so many delicious foods, which has lived up to our expectations," Zheng says.

As a newly popular night market in Haikou, the Baishamen cultural and creative market brings together snacks from all over China, authentic cuisines from southeast Asian countries, and a wide variety of unique handicrafts, attracting locals and tourists alike.

Similar scenes are countless. The Nanning Nights neighborhood in Nanning city, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, also becomes livelier during the summer. Light shows, food exhibitions, ethnic performances and music fill the air.

In Guangxi's Liuzhou city, tourists come from far and wide for the popular Luosifen dish, causing bustling crowds in the streets. The city has launched a special "Night Snack Bus" route to make it easier for visitors to enjoy midnight snacks.

Data from Meituan, one of the largest Chinese shopping platforms, show that since summer dine-in restaurants, entertainment facilities, hotels and homestays have seen their highest order volumes at around 7 pm daily. At the Guanyinqiao pedestrian street in Chongqing, for example, nighttime spending increased by approximately 60% compared to the same period last year.

The active night economy in various places has become a highlight in the consumer market. Additionally, the Dragon Boat Festival and the summer vacation have substantially stimulated the consumption potential.

On July 6, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce released July's retail business confidence index. The index of 50.1% indicates that China's retail industry has kept expanding for seven months.

Source: Economic Information Daily; trans-editing by Guo Yao