A sightseeing bus in Xicheng District, Beijing (Beijing News/Wu Jiang)

Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau said China’s capital Beijing will provide support for the construction of 24-hour convenience stores and food streets in various districts of the city to add flavor to Beijing's nightlife, The Beijing News reported on Jan. 16.

Beijing will bring in policies to help boost night-time economy and promote consumption, encouraging key streets and shopping malls, supermarkets, and convenience stores to prolong business hours. The new plans were revealed in the annual government work report delivered by Chen Jining, mayor of Beijing, at the opening meeting of the annual Beijing Municipal People's Congress meeting on Monday.

Multiple districts in Beijing including Xicheng District, Chaoyang District, and Fengtai District have already made some progress in building 24-hour commercial outlet networks. Xicheng District will encourage more convenience stores to remain open round-the-clock, while Taikoo Li Sanlitun in Chaoyang District and the Huilongguan-Tiantongyuan area in Changping District will be home to newly built food streets.

During the annual session in Beijing, some deputies suggested that relevant government departments should offer services to tackle such problems as traffic difficulties and the cleaning up and transportation of garbage during the night.

As traffic is vital to the development of night-time economy, the Beijing Public Transport Corporation (BPTC) will increase the routes and number of night buses in the network of commercial outlets and business zones, said Wang Chunjie, deputy to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress and secretary of the Communist Party of China BPTC Committee.