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Yunnan nights, defined by romance

夜云南有浪漫

By Chen Chen □ 陈晨 / 文

As dusk descends, the Starlight Night consumption.
Market in Gaozhuang Xishuangjing, Xish- Visa-free policies have significantly
uangbanna, lights up the Lancang River boosted two-way cross-border travel. Yan
banks. Tourists adorned in Dai and Thai at- Wenxiang, Deputy General Manager of the
tire drift among its 3,000 stalls. Meanwhile, Gaozhuang Xishuangjing Marketing Center,
by the shores of Dianchi Lake, visitors from noted that both summer and National Day
Malaysia use traditional “silver notes” to holidays see peak tourist activity. The night
purchase tea, savoring the poetic allure of market averages 35,000 daily visitors, with
the “Dianchi Night Moon,” a famed historic numbers soaring to nearly 65,000 per day
scene in Kunming. during National Day. Inbound tourism here
Bolstered by the benefits of visa-free has surged by nearly 200% year-on-year,
policies, the night economy across Yunnan with visitors from Thailand and Laos mak-
continues to heat up. The vibrant atmos- ing up over 8% of the total, a trend that has
phere of cross-border cultural fusion has directly driven a 25% increase in cross-bor-
become its most captivating scenery. der spending. Among them is Nguyen Thị
At 4 PM, Yi Xianghe of Mengla County, Bich Ngoc from Vietnam, who expressed
Xishuangbanna, carefully wraps glutinous her fondness for browsing the original
rice in banana leaves, preparing her pine- handicraft area. “I’m particularly drawn to
apple rice for the evening market. Since the patterns on Dai pottery,” she said, “and
starting at the Starlight Night Market in I’d like to buy some pieces to take home for
2024, she has innovated on traditional Dai flower arrangements.”
techniques. During peak hours, she now Business format innovation continuously
sells over 200 servings daily. “We grew up injects vitality into the night economy. The
with night markets, and now they’ve be- “Thailand Street” added to the Starlight
come a must for visiting tourists,” she said. Night Market during the summer replicates
In front of her stall, visitors from Sichuan the style of the Sukhothai Kingdom, with
and Chongqing pause to photograph their 80% of its merchants being Thai operators.
pineapple rice. Nearby, the rich aroma of Experiences like Muay Thai performances
Lao iced coffee blends with the lively sizzle and ancient musical instrument demon-
of Thai-style stir-fried rice noodles. strations make visitors feel as if they are in
Beneath the warm lights of the Starlight Southeast Asia. During National Day, the
Night Market, Li Gang, a manager spe- “Mekong Starlight & Fireworks Carnival,”
cializing in tourism photography services, featuring fireworks displays and parade
directs his team as they style tourists for a floats, enriched the tourist experience. ception of the “Dianchi Night Moon.” The largest flower market truly comes alive after
shoot. “The Southeast Asian-style architec- The area around Dianchi Lake is equally night was unforgettable: against a backdrop dark,” remarked a representative from Fa-
ture provides a perfect backdrop, and the vibrant. During National Day, Kunming’s of distant hot air balloon lights, visitors used faFond, the market’s design team. They ob-
modernized Dai-Thai outfits are extremely Sunac Cultural Tourism City welcomed traditional “silver notes” to make purchases serve a synergistic effect where the vibrant
popular on social media,” he explained. over 90,000 visitors daily. The experiences on boats, families enjoyed moonlit cruises, energy of the nightly flower market boosts
The professionalization of this niche ac- of Malaysian tourists here offer a touching and young friends in Hanfu costumes cap- surrounding businesses, creating an atmos-
celerated with the establishment of the glimpse into cross-border cultural connec- tured photographs—all weaving together a phere that is both lively and poetic.
Jinghong Gaozhuang Xishuangjing Tourism tions. Luo Dan from the Sunac Dianchi scene of timeless nostalgia. From the specialty markets along the Lan-
Photography Association in October 2022, Houhai brand planning team shared that The “Rui Shi Buy” market, nestled out- cang River to the cultural encounters on the
which now supports nearly 100 practition- many of these visitors attended Chinese side the Dounan Flower Market, brings a shores of Dianchi Lake, Yunnan’s burgeoning
ers. This growing demand has also spurred schools in their youth. Their grandfathers, distinctly romantic flavor to the nighttime night economy is building bridges for cultural
the development of local ethnic costume who had sought refuge overseas during economy. By blending specialty products exchange through diverse formats. Luo added
rental businesses. Data shows that bookings WWII, instilled in them a profound yearn- from across Yunnan with immersive floral that future initiatives will focus on enhancing
for photo shoots at the night market surged ing for the homeland they cherished. Some displays and hosting lively ethnic bonfire cross-border services, using the “Dianchi
by over 40% from the summer holidays even privately messaged the official social parties and musical performances, it has Night Moon” cultural IP as a core engine to
through National Day, establishing this ser- media account to secure tickets, driven by quickly become a favored gathering place sustain the vitality of Yunnan’s local culture
vice as a powerful new engine for nighttime a deep desire to experience the artistic con- for young people. “The magic of Asia’s within nighttime tourism.