Editor's note: This report focuses on Chongqing as part of our special series, "Rising Star Cities," about Chinese cities whose annual GDP exceeds 1 trillion yuan ($155.4 billion, or more than the GDP of Qatar). At the end of 2020, there were 23 such cities. Click here for more stories on Chongqing. You can also explore our earlier coverage of Ningbo and Changsha. 

Local brands in Southwest China's Chongqing City continue to expand their reach, riding the tide of the city's popularity and social media, analysts said.

According to data released by Chongqing Development and Reform Commission, the number of valid registered trademarks in Chongqing increased from 197,500 in 2015 to 567,200 by the end of 2020, ranking second place in western China. 

"The recent consumption trend from Chongqing indicates that the city in the west is no longer a follower," said Wang Rui, associate professor of marketing at the Guanghua School of Management in Peking University.  

A popular tourist city, Chongqing has the opportunity to show its local products and brands to consumers around the country, which helps local brands to grow nationally. That is one of the main reasons some international companies would have first-time brands or products launched in Chongqing.

Chongqing became China's most popular tourist destination during the National Day and May Day holidays this year, data from a Tiktok report shows.

"Because of Chongqing's attraction to younger people and tourists, the city can obtain a lot of new information and insights about consumer preferences," said Wang. 

The rise of social media and livestreaming has proven advantageous to the city in the era of the internet economy. Chongqing is famous for incubating key opinion leaders (KOLs) for social media platforms, with most users being young people.  

Jiangxiaobai, one of the youngest brands in the Chinese baijiu-making industry, established its headquarters in Chongqing. The company has positioned itself as a game-changer in the Chinese baijiu sector by embracing the young and their creative energy to capture the trend in the younger generation, which is in line with Chongqing's attraction to young consumers. 

Chongqing excels in promoting its brands to other parts of China and the world. Wang told CGTN that local brands like Jiangxiaobai can grow as a national brand because they know how to communicate with the younger generation, who engage with and promote the local brand nationally. 

With the help of social media and KOL's, Chongqing-based brands can better understand consumer preferences and upgrade their products. The younger consumers also share and promote new products and cool brands on social media, boosting consumer brand awareness and ultimately making the brands famous nationally.

Chongqing remains committed to building the brand image of "made in Chongqing." In keeping with this, local businesses strive to maintain their creative and innovative edge to meet various consumer demands  and make Chongqing brands increasingly influential.