It could, of course, be put down to the naturally frank, warm though ostentatious characteristics of Chongqing people. But that would be to miss the significance of the city's rise and rise as a shopper's paradise in Western China.

Since Chongqing became a municipality directly under the central government, the pace of its economic development has accelerated – and with it, Chongqing consumption levels have escalated rapidly.

The municipality is not only a huge market in its own right, but also an engine driving the consumption of the entire Western Region.........