Synergizing District Night Markets and Cultural Innovation: A Study on Shenyang’s Internet-Famous City Branding Strategy

Ruohua Wang

doi:10.54254/2754-1169/2025.CAU27157

Advances in Economics, Management and Political SciencesOpen access

Synergizing District Night Markets and Cultural Innovation: A Study on Shenyang’s Internet-Famous City Branding Strategy

Research Article

Open Access

Synergizing District Night Markets and Cultural Innovation: A Study on Shenyang’s Internet-Famous City Branding Strategy

Ruohua Wang ^1*

¹ Western University

^*Corresponding author: rwang783@uwo.ca

Published on 24 September 2025

AEMPS Vol.218

ISSN (Print): 2754-1177

ISSN (Online): 2754-1169

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-385-7

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-386-4

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Abstract

The innovative development of nighttime economies is becoming a key driver of urban cultural consumption. As a major industrial city in Northeast China, Shenyang faces challenges in its night market development, including indistinct cultural identity, homogeneous business formats, and superficial visitor experiences, which hinder its transition into a youth-oriented, digitally-savvy city brand. This study explores pathways to establish Shenyang as an internet-famous destination by integrating district-based night markets with cultural and creative initiatives. Through case analysis and consumer behavior research, it proposes the creation of an “Industrial Elf” IP system to enhance urban cultural memory through differentiated thematic designs. The study innovatively designs a cross district consumption linkage mechanism, combined with viral marketing strategies, to form a cohesive night market cluster model. Key findings include: (1) A dual phase implementation approach balancing short term pilot projects with long term cultural authenticity preservation; (2) Gamification techniques that effectively encourage inter district visitor flow and spontaneous consumption; and (3) Leveraging user generated content for cost efficient, high impact promotion. These outcomes provide actionable solutions for Shenyang’s cultural tourism challenges while offering valuable insights for similar industrial cities undergoing brand transformation.

Keywords:

Cultural creative synergy, Internet-famous city, City branding, Shenyang

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References

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References

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Cite this article

Wang,R. (2025). Synergizing District Night Markets and Cultural Innovation: A Study on Shenyang’s Internet-Famous City Branding Strategy. Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences,218,17-22.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of ICEMGD 2025 Symposium: Resilient Business Strategies in Global Markets

ISBN: 978-1-80590-385-7(Print) / 978-1-80590-386-4(Online)

Editor: Florian Marcel Nuţă Nuţă, Li Chai

Conference website: https://2025.icemgd.org/CAU.htm

Conference date: 20 September 2025

Series: Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences

Volume number: Vol.218

ISSN: 2754-1169(Print) / 2754-1177(Online)

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