Yunnan focuses on promoting “night economy”

Recently, the People’s Government of Yunnan Province has announced a guide to help promote the “night economy” in Yunnan amid the “new normal” brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to this guide, a series of “night economy areas” are designed to be built not only in Kunming, the province’s capital city, but in Dali, Lijiang, Jinghong, Qujing and many more cities.

Take Kunming for instance, 15 existing shopping complexes and markets will be named “key night economy areas”, encompassing the Spring City 66, Wanda Plaza, Joy City, Tongde Kunming Plaza, Nanya Fengqing Mall, Park 1903 as well as Dounan Flower Market. Meanwhile, the renowned Nanping Pedestrian Street in downtown Kunming will be given a title of “night economy landmark.” 

The guide stresses the importance of combining night economy with local and ethnic elements of each place. Therefore, while a total of 20 to 30 night economy areas are planned to be created in Kunming, every other major city across Yunnan will also see 2 to 3 areas of such, with an aim to not merely boost local economy and bring new dynamics to urban life, but meet the increasing shopping and leisure demands of citizens in Yunnan province as the lockdown of COVID-19 eases.

On top of Kunming’s Nanping Pedestrian Street, the provincial government also hopes to turn a few other tourist magnets across Yunnan into “night economy landmarks”, including the Fuxin Road in Dali ,Xianghe Square of Lijiang, Gaozhuang Xishuangjing Scenic Area in Xishuangbanna, as well as Qujing Waitan.

 By reorganizing tourist resources and upgrading urban facilities and services, the Yunnan government expects to create a better environment that tourists and consumers from Yunnan and even the entire nation can enjoy, especially at night. Furthermore, an “online+offline” shopping model will be guaranteed to substantially optimize every customer’s experience. 

Writing by Duan Jianxin; trans-editing by Wang Jingzhong; photographs by Chen Chuangye