Chongqing leads China's consumption boom with unique urban experience

(ECNS) – Chongqing Municipality in southwestern China has surpassed Shanghai to become China's leading city in consumption, achieving total retail sales of consumer goods 830.037 billion yuan (about $115.62 billion), about 4 billion yuan more than Shanghai, according to latest data from both Chongqing and Shanghai municipal governments.

Shaped by the rugged terrain carved by the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers, Chongqing has earned its distinctive reputation as a "magical 8 dimensional city."

Chongqing Municipality. (File photo/China News Service)

Capitalizing on this distinctive geography, the city has developed a diverse consumer space system known as "Cliffside Street Wonderland", comprising riverbanks, footpaths, backstreets, caves, and rooftops.

Across Chongqing, 286 integrated consumer spaces combining mountain trails, specialty streets, and riverside economic zones have transformed everyday uphill climbs into one-of-a-kind commercial experiences. One moment, a visitor might be strolling along a cliffside path; the next, they could turn a corner to find a bustling hotpot restaurant hidden inside an old air-raid shelter.

These distinctive consumer experiences have spurred a 15–20% increase in rental prices for commercial spaces along these routes, highlighting that uniqueness offers far greater market vitality compared to homogeneous retail environments. By transforming its physical landscape into shareable, immersive consumer symbols, Chongqing secures its ticket to thrive in the traffic-driven era.

The city's consumption boom is no coincidence either —it's backed by supportive policies.

This year, Chongqing rolled out a package of measures to stimulate spending, including, for the first time, subsidies for 3C digital products, significantly boosting sales in related categories.

As of June-end, the city had recorded 3.27 million subsidy-related transactions for home appliances and digital products, involving a total subsidy amount of 1.7 billion yuan.

Chongqing, with its stunning mountain-and-river landscapes and urban scenery, has also drawn waves of visitors, creating significant new momentum for consumption growth.

In the first half of the year, Chongqing welcomed 235 million domestic tourist visits, marking an 8.6% increase year-on-year, and generated 250.7 billion yuan in domestic tourism revenue, up 11.9% year-on-year. Additionally, the city also welcomed 923,000 inbound tourists, up 77.2% year-on-year, according to Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development.

Nationally, Chongqing's consumer resurgence reflects the broader recovery trend in domestic demand. China's National Bureau of Statistics reveals that China's overall retail sales of consumer goods rose by 5.0% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, accelerating by 0.4 percentage points compared to the first quarter.

Chongqing's experience shows that transforming local characteristics into consumer-driven momentum and using targeted policies to unlock market vitality can accelerate growth on the consumption track.

China's consumption-driven growth continues to gain momentum, fueled by local innovation and policy support. Leading cities like Chongqing exemplify this broader trend of domestic consumption, becoming a key pillar of China's economic resilience and transformation.