The night economy refers to a category of economic activities that occur from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. that include dining, nightlife, arts, music, theater, entertainment, festivals, events, activities and tourist attractions. It has become a new driving force for consumption and contributed to economic transformation and upgrading. According to Ministry of Commerce statistics, over two thirds of catering industry sales in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality take place at night and 55 percent of service industry sales in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, come from the night economy.

However, China's night economy lags behind many other countries, with a gap in the development of the night economy among different regions of the country. First- and second-tier cities see a prospering night economy whereas it is still at a preliminary stage of development in third- and fourth-tier cities.

To develop the night economy, service industries such as catering, entertainment, leisure and tourism should be boosted to provide more comfortable experiences for consumers.

According to Beijing's government work report in 2019, the city will unveil measures to promote the night economy in order to boost consumption. It is encouraging shopping malls, supermarkets and convenience stores in major commercial districts to extend their hours of operation. Other cities like Tianjin, Chengdu and Qingdao have all come up with similar policies.

The development of the night economy requires the guidance of the government and participation of various market entities. In addition, the government should provide a guarantee of public security at night to clear obstacles for the night economy.

(This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published on Guancha.gmw.cn on May 15)