Some say the nighttime is the right time and that's the case in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu as local governments move to boost their "night economies" to increase consumption.

The authorities say the move can energize the cities, especially during summer.

A recent report from e-commerce giant Alibaba showed that night-time consumption, including both dining and shopping, is nearly half of daytime consumption. City dwellers, especially young people, like to escape the heat by attending parties or eating snacks until midnight.

Those who prefer staying at home can order online food delivery and shopping. The report listed ten cities that see the most vibrant shopping behavior on Taobao.com. They include established first-tier cities Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and their new rivals such as Chongqing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Wuhan.

Dai Bin, director of China Culture and Tourism Research Institute, said the core of the night economy is in the first-tier cities while those on the second and third tiers also have large potential.  

"We are talking about the consumption happening from six to ten o'clock at night. Dining is an absolute necessity, but it is not all. We also need to watch movies and listen to cross talks," said Dai.

Rising demand in tourism has boosted night tours in some destinations. Experts said that museums and exhibition centers could also extend their opening hours to draw in night crowds.

"We've surveyed over 600 companies and have found that 70 percent of tourist companies have the motivation to increase night businesses. Now Beijing subways have extended their running hours to midnight during weekends and some museums and exhibition centers have also postponed their opening hours to nine o'clock at night," he added.