Photo shows the night view of the Great Tang All Day Mall in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Nighttime economy has increasingly become a new engine to drive the economic growth in China.

BEIJING, Aug. 10, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Nighttime economy has become a hot word this summer. It refers to business activities between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in the service sector. Many Chinese cities, especially metropolises such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, have rolled out plans to support nighttime consumption to drive economic growth.

China's GDP grew by 6.3 percent in the first half of this year, and consumption accounted for 60 percent, which continued to be the first driving force for the country's economic growth. Among them, nighttime consumption shows giant potential, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Nighttime economy has become a new engine to enhance the city's vitality and promote China's development. It meets people's expectations, motivates industrial and commercial enterprises, and spurs the enthusiasm of local governments.

Tourists have fun at a light festival in a modern agricultural park in Shahe, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

People watch a band performance at the foot of the ancient city wall in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

Visitors are seen during a night event at Suzhou Museum in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Wang Jiankang/Xinhua)

A man holds giant bottles of beer in the Qingdao International Beer Festival in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People queue up in front of Quanjude, Beijing's most famous roast duck chain restaurant, at its Qianmen Branch in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

People watch a tea performance at the Kuanzhai Lane Historic District in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Liu Kun)

People queue up to buy kebab at a night fair in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Aerial photo shows an international night market in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Visitors have fun at an amusement park in the evening in southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Liu Chan)

People watch a light show at Jianshan Village of Anji County, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)