A breathtaking view of the Jialing River in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

The State Council announced in July that Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Chongqing will take the lead in becoming international consumption center cities. Chongqing is the only one in the Central and West China to be selected. From then on, Chongqing has been tasked with a new historical mission.

Last year, Chongqing's GDP exceeded 2.5 trillion yuan ($390 billion), with the growth rate in total retail sales of consumer goods higher than the national average by 5.2 percentage points and ranking fourth in China. During the first three quarters of this year, Chongqing's total retail sales of consumer goods saw an increase of 23.7 percent.

According to a consumption goal issued by authorities, by 2025, the total retail sales of consumer goods are expected to exceed 1.55 trillion yuan, accounting for 50 percent of regional economic growth. The consumption proportion of service products should reach around 40 percent of total consumption.

Major shopping districts and trading enterprises in the municipality posted growth of 9.3 percent year-on-year in retail sales during the National Day holiday this year.

Renewed consumption infrastructure can partly explain this new wave of consumption in Chongqing. The government in recent years has rolled out plans and policies to upgrade its central business districts, and has promoted the construction of several new cities, including Cuntan Internatioanl New City, which is located in the Liangjiang New Area. Old shopping areas and pedestrian streets have also seen their infrastructure and services improve.

A number of leading expositions in the municipality have become important extravaganzas. The 13th China (Chongqing) Hotpot and Food Culture Festival that just concluded boasted an exhibition area of 70,000 square meters and attracted more than 1,000 hotpot-related firms and over 2,000 related products. The Chongqing hotpot industrial chain has earned over 100 billion yuan in sales revenue, with Chongqing hotpot stores scattered throughout all five continents.