Chongqing hat Shanghai überholt und sich zur Stadt mit dem höchsten Konsum entwickelt.

In 2020, it outperformed Guangzhou; in 2022, it left Beijing behind. From January to February, in the first quarter, and from January to April in 2025, its total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded that of Shanghai for three consecutive times, emerging as the top consumer city.

Why do people in Chongqing have such strong spending power?

The consumption concept of Chongqing people

In the 2025 "Government Work Report", the term "consumption" was repeatedly mentioned 32 times as a high - frequency word. All regions regarded boosting consumption as a top priority.

A friend from Chongqing said: For Chongqing, there's no need to push for consumption because people in Chongqing are especially willing to spend. They consume when they have money, and they also find ways to consume when they don't. There's even a joking saying: "Even if Chongqing people have no money at all, they still want to have a good time."

As a golden port where the Yangtze River and the Jialing River meet, Chongqing has been a gathering place for people from all over the world since ancient times. It is connected to the fertile Sichuan Basin in the west and the vast Jianghan Plain in the east. Its unique geographical location has given rise to unique living concepts and consumption cultures.

Here, there is the simplicity of agricultural civilization, the flexibility of business people, the straightforwardness of dock workers, and the chivalry of the "Pao Ge" (a local fraternal organization). Eventually, these elements blend into the unique character of Chongqing people - optimistic, open - minded, loving life, and enjoying the present.

Statistics in 2024 showed that Chongqing people spent nearly 70% of their disposable income on consumption. You can tease a Chongqing person for not earning much, but you can never say that they "don't know how to eat or have fun."

If we want to find the best epitome of this culture, it must be hot pot. In the boiling red - oil pot, various ingredients are tumbling. Amid the steaming heat, the taste buds enjoy a hearty experience, and all the biggest troubles can be thrown out of the window. Just as Chongqing people often say: "There's nothing that can't be solved by one hot - pot meal. If there is, then two."

The 37,000 hot - pot restaurants scattered throughout the alleys of the mountain city are 37,000 social venues and cultural carriers, witnessing the philosophy of "living in the moment" of Chongqing people. Of course, these stores also drive the hot - pot industry chain to create an annual output value of 300 billion yuan, supporting the livelihoods of over one million people.

In 2024, the catering industry across the country was hit hard. The catering consumption in Beijing and Shanghai decreased by 4.9% and 5.3% respectively. But people in Chongqing simply don't understand what the "catering slump" means. Their catering consumption increased by 9.1% last year, reaching a remarkable 251.991 billion yuan.

This is the persistence of Chongqing people towards delicious food. This persistence is not only reflected in "eating and drinking" but also in "having fun." The common greeting when Chongqing people meet is: "Let's go out and have fun. What do you want to do?"

Even from Monday to Friday, the streets and alleys of Chongqing are crowded with people, and it's even more so on weekends. In the 40 - degree heat, while complaining about the scorching heat, Chongqing people are still arranging to meet up with friends for fun. Aunties and uncles set up "water mahjong" games, perfectly combining summer relaxation and entertainment.

This "seize the day" attitude has kept Chongqing's per - capita consumption among the top ten in all provincial - level regions in China for years. In the second quarter of 2025, after ranking first in the total retail sales of consumer goods, its per - capita consumption expenditure also ranked first in the central and western regions and ninth in the country, and this was achieved with nearly one - third of its permanent population being rural residents.

The foundation of the top consumer city

Of course, to be the top consumer city, strong consumption willingness alone is not enough. Consumption must be supported by income. After all, only when people have more money in their pockets can they have the confidence to consume. The foundation of this confidence lies in solid industrial strength.

The economist Keynes once proposed the famous theory of "marginal propensity to consume" to describe the law behind consumption. Simply put, consumption increases as income increases, but the growth rate is lower than that of income.

The core is still: there must be income.

Behind Chongqing's rise in consumption is the increasing income of its people.

On the Internet, Chongqing is often named the "Hot - Pot Capital" and the "8D Magic City," but in fact, it also has an important hidden identity - the Capital of Hard - core Manufacturing.

Among the 41 major industrial categories in the country, Chongqing has 39; among the 31 major manufacturing categories, Chongqing has them all.

In the notebook computer industry, since 2014, Chongqing has become the world's largest notebook computer production base. Now, one out of every three notebook computers in the world is "Made in Chongqing," with an annual output reaching up to 93.8529 million units at its peak. It's fully deserving of the name "Notebook Computer Capital." In the motorcycle industry, the production volume in 2024 was 6.574 million units. Among the top ten export brands in the country, five are from Chongqing, firmly controlling half of the market.

In the industrial parks along the Yangtze River and the Jialing River, there are also many "industry masters": the production capacity of power semiconductor wafers ranks third in the country, the annual output of liquid crystal displays reaches 392 million pieces, and the mobile phone production in Yubei District accounts for 1/20 of the world's total... Each is a leader in its industry.

But if we talk about the most dazzling "star" in Chongqing's industry, it belongs to the automobile industry. In the first half of 2024, with a production volume of 1.214 million vehicles, Chongqing topped the list as the "Number One Automobile City" in the country. The annual output reached 2.5401 million, surpassing Guangzhou, the long - standing king of the automobile industry, and only second to Shenzhen.

Chongqing's automobile industry has now expanded to an annual output value of nearly 600 billion yuan, making it one of the largest automobile industry clusters in the country.

On July 27, 2025, with the official settlement of China Chang'an Automobile Group, a "central - state - owned enterprise aircraft carrier," Chongqing is now on par with Changchun, the headquarters of FAW, and Wuhan, the headquarters of Dongfeng, as one of the three giants with automobile central - state - owned enterprises, further consolidating its golden signboard as the "Automobile Capital."

If we focus on new - energy vehicles, Chongqing's achievements are even more remarkable. From January to June in 2024, the production volume of new - energy vehicles in Chongqing reached 391,000 units, a year - on - year increase of 1.5 times, ranking first among the top ten provincial - level regions in terms of automobile production in the country. In 2024, the annual production volume of new - energy vehicles soared to 953,200 units, a year - on - year increase of 90.5%, far exceeding the national average by nearly 60 percentage points.

Contributing to this outstanding performance are brands like Avita, which sells over 10,000 units per month, and Changan Deepal, with a cumulative sales volume of over half a million units. As a private enterprise, SERES has transformed from a small spring - manufacturing factory 39 years ago into a leading new - energy vehicle enterprise with an annual sales volume of over 420,000 units.

Source: SERES Automobile official website

The Wenjie series, in cooperation with Huawei, has a cumulative sales volume of over 700,000 units, becoming the only domestic self - owned brand to enter the top ten in the sales list of luxury cars priced over 500,000 yuan. The Wenjie M9 set a new sales record in the luxury car market priced over 500,000 yuan with an annual delivery volume of 150,000 units in 2024, winning another "first place" for Chongqing's automobile industry.

Around SERES' super factory in Liangjiang New Area, more than 200 core supporting enterprises such as Huawei, CATL, and Tuopu Group have clustered, driving employment for about 150,000 people in the upstream and downstream industries. Just SERES alone provides 18,800 jobs, including over 6,000 high - paying R & D positions.

Driven by the automobile industry, Chongqing's added value of the manufacturing industry increased by 7.5% in 2024, and the total profits of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 15.6%, both higher than the national average.

The dividends of industrial upgrading are directly reflected in income. In the first half of 2025, Chongqing's per - capita disposable income rose from the 11th to the 9th in the country. Except for the four first - tier cities and economically strong coastal provinces, Chongqing ranks the highest among inland regions.

The solid industrial foundation has laid a solid foundation for the wallets of Chongqing people.

However, besides income support, there are other factors contributing to the confidence of Chongqing people to consume. In particular, the housing prices in Chongqing have always been relatively low, which allows residents to have more money for consumption.

In July 2025, the average listed price of second - hand houses in Chongqing was about 9,200 yuan per square meter, only one - fifth of that in Shanghai. The average monthly rent was 30.39 yuan per square meter, about one - third of that in Beijing. Whether buying or renting a house, the pressure is much less than that in first - tier cities and even some second - tier cities.

The "Three Arrows" to activate consumption

Chongqing's rise as the top consumer city is also largely due to the government's efforts in promoting consumption.

Firstly, it focuses on the development and innovative creation of consumption scenarios.

In 1942, when the American scholar John King Fairbank flew over Chongqing by plane, he sighed: "This place is not suitable for human habitation. There isn't even a flat piece of land, and one has to go up and down like a goat when moving around in the city."

The available plains in Chongqing only account for 2.39%. This mountainous terrain restricts the space for large - scale commercial complexes to be built, resulting in trendy brands entering the market about three years later on average compared to Chengdu.

But Chongqing doesn't accept this fate. Since it can't expand horizontally like plain cities, it simply develops vertically, "making a big deal out of a small space."

Since 2012, Chongqing has gradually transformed its unique "riverside - cliff - street - cave" landscape into a characteristic advantage. Along the riverside promenades, cliffs, stair - filled alleys, air - raid shelters, and even up to a hundred meters in the air, it has continuously created unique consumption scenarios and new ways of consumption and entertainment.

As a result, Chongqing has created a unique and magical landscape in the world: light - rails pass through residential buildings, shopping mall entrances are on the rooftops, and the rail transit feels like a "roller - coaster." This three - dimensional city is full of a "cyber - punk" sense of fashion.

While tourists from other places are amazed by Chongqing's various magical terrains, Chongqing people may be thinking about "what new kind of entertainment can be created here."

This is the "first arrow" of the Chongqing government to activate consumption. By making use of space, it has unearthed a wealth of consumption scenarios. When there are enough unique scenarios for people to "play" and "shop," consumption will naturally increase.

Chongqing people not only develop the city vertically but also extend the use of time.

Tourists from the Yangtze River Delta often exclaim when they first arrive in Chongqing: "Do the people here not need to sleep?"

In fact, the gene of the city's nightlife was engraved in its memory hundreds of years ago. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, dock workers were used to gathering for drinks after unloading in the evening. During the Republic of China, the night market at Chaotianmen was brightly lit until dawn, and this scene was included in the then "Twelve Scenic Spots of Ba - Yu."

For people in Chongqing, when the sun goes down, work ends, but life is just beginning.

In 2020, the Chongqing government upgraded the "night - time economy" to a city - wide strategy and launched the "Non - stop Chongqing Life Festival." Since then, it has organized more than 200 theme activities every year to light up the whole city.

Today in Chongqing, hot - pot restaurants are still bustling at 3 a.m., and 24 - hour milk tea shops and gyms can be seen everywhere. They form the "second arrow" of the government to stimulate consumption: extending the consumption time through the "night - time economy."

Data in 2024 showed that in Chongqing's 1.62 trillion yuan of total retail sales of consumer goods, night - time consumption accounted for 60%, indicating the significant impact of this "arrow."

With the extension of space and time, Chongqing has a "third arrow" to activate consumption: creating cultural and tourism IPs to attract tourists from other places and expand the consumer group.

In daily consumption scenarios, local residents form the basic consumer group. During holidays, the large influx of tourists creates waves of consumption peaks.

To ensure a good experience for tourists, Chongqing is working hard to become both an internet celebrity and a long - lasting attraction to continuously draw global tourists. At the same time, it is trying to provide a better experience for more tourists in its relatively limited space. For this reason, the Chongqing government also advocates "giving the scenic spots to tourists" and "giving the transportation to tourists" during holidays, creating the interesting phenomenon of "Chongqing people making way for tourists."

With the popularity of phenomenon - level IPs such as the light - rail passing through the building in Liziba, drone light shows, the night view of Hongya Cave, and Rongchang marinated goose, Chongqing's tourist reception volume has repeatedly reached new highs. During the May Day holiday in 2025, Chongqing received 18.5831 million tourists, a year - on - year increase of 10.4%. The number of tourists in Rongchang District even soared by 168.2%. The total tourist spending reached 15.171 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 16.3%.

People in Chongqing have proven with wisdom that what seems to be a geographical disadvantage is actually an undeveloped characteristic.

If John King Fairbank could see today's Chongqing - a super - city with the largest population in China and the top consumer city, he would surely give this magical land a new evaluation.

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