Chongqing: A Mountain City Racing to Become a Global Consumer Destination

Chongqing, China (ANTARA/Xinhua-AsiaNet)- Nestled among mountains and rivers in western China, Chongqing is accelerating its rise as an international consumption center, drawing global visitors with its unique landscape, industrial strength and open, inclusive retail environment.

Walking through the city, immersive consumption scenes appear at every turn. Renovated air-raid shelters have been reborn as "Mountain City Cave Havens," hosting bars, restaurants and immersive performances, while cave hotpot restaurants - one of which seats more than 1,300 diners at a constant 25°C - have become visitor favorites. Chongqing's consumer power has grown by leaps and bounds: in 2025, total retail sales of consumer goods reached RMB 1.67 trillion, ranking first among Chinese cities and welcoming more than 500 million visitors a year. A strong manufacturing base - new-energy vehicles, motorcycles and laptops - keeps fueling the market, while the city has continuously topped China's night-economy rankings for four consecutive years. More than 2,800 domestic and international brands and over 2,000 first stores have now settled here, including 325 Fortune Global 500 companies that chose Chongqing as their first stop in western China.

The deep integration of commerce, culture and tourism keeps attracting global travelers. Yangtze River cruises, low-altitude sightseeing and hot-spring wellness are flourishing, and 17 national-level premium tourism routes have been promoted worldwide. The city now conducts trade with 228 countries and regions, supported by the China-Europe Railway Express and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, while streamlined visa, payment and tax-refund services make travel easier for international guests.

Over the past five years, Chongqing has upgraded 30 core commercial districts and created 100 new consumption scenes along riverbanks, cliffs and even rooftop terraces, turning everyday urban spaces into distinctive consumption experiences. Liberation Monument has been recognized as one of the nation's top inbound-consumption-friendly commercial districts, a vivid reflection of how heritage is translated into purchasable, sharable experiences that global cities along the Belt and Road can learn from.

From its surreal skyline to its bustling street food, from its manufacturing strength to its ever-improving inbound services, this western mountain city is moving steadily toward its goal of becoming a truly international consumption center - opening its doors to the world and sharing the vitality of China's vast market with global visitors.