New users can click on "International Business Daily" to follow. "Vigorously boosting consumption" is one of the key tasks identified by the Central Economic Work Conference for the year. Stimulating consumption potential and cultivating new growth points in consumption have become crucial measures to drive the upgrading of the consumer market. The younger generation is emerging as the primary force behind new types of consumption, with their preferences and spending structures exerting an increasingly significant impact on the market. New growth areas in consumption continue to emerge, injecting fresh momentum into the consumer market.

County-level economy is an important component of China's national economy. With the continuous advancement of the county-level commercial system construction, the sales scale of county and township markets has been steadily expanding. The "China's '100 Billion Counties' Development Research Report" released by CCID Consulting shows that from year to year, the number of "100 billion counties" with an annual regional GDP exceeding 100 billion yuan has increased from to . This fully demonstrates the rapid growth and enormous potential of the county-level economy.

Against the backdrop of county-level economic upgrading and the integration of urban and rural consumption, young people in counties are experiencing an unprecedented awakening in their consumption habits. With short video platforms breaking down information barriers, the demand for cultural and entertainment consumption among returning youth, who have gone out for education or work, is becoming more diverse and quality-oriented. However, compared to the abundant cultural and entertainment offerings in first and second-tier cities, the county-level entertainment ecosystem has long been trapped in a cycle of "low-level repetition," and the phenomenon of "social desertification" warrants attention.

Social media platforms have become the main outlet for young people in small counties to vent their emotions, forming a highly representative narrative of the "county cultural and entertainment dilemma." An article titled *The Helplessness of Living in a Small County* on Xiaohongshu shared the author's current situation of "having money but nowhere to spend it" in a small county. In the comments section, one netizen also shared their thoughts: "Every Saturday, standing in the mall atrium, looking at Haidilao, Mixue Ice City, and Li-Ning stores, it suddenly feels like life is just on loop."

The current imbalance between supply and demand in county-level cultural and entertainment sectors reflects a generational gap in consumption concepts and a lag in commercial operational thinking. While the younger generation in small towns, influenced by the internet, adopts "urbanized" consumption habits, local businesses remain stuck in the traditional model of "large portions, low prices, and high practicality." This leads to a situation where "those who want to spend money can't find an outlet, and those who want to make money can't grasp the demand," resulting in a long-standing structural contradiction that is difficult to resolve.

How is the cultural and entertainment consumption in county-level regions?

"After all the deliberation, we still end up going to those same places." In the social landscape of young people in small towns, "where to eat" is evolving into a form of decision fatigue. The streets and alleys densely packed with hotpot restaurants, barbecue stalls, and bubble tea shops form an invisible culinary cage—every commercial street seems like a carbon copy of the next. While the food and beverage sector holds a significant position in the business mix of commercial complexes, its growing homogenization is increasingly highlighting the issue, further intensifying consumer experience fatigue.

During the interview, Xiao Li, who had just attended a Spring Festival class reunion, said, "Every time we gather for a meal, we can never decide what to eat, and we end up going to the same places. We've been to our usual Hunan restaurant eight times already, and now just hearing the words 'stir-fried pork with chili' makes me sick."

The "China Catering Franchise Industry White Paper" jointly released by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association and Meituan shows that chain catering brands are continuously expanding into lower-tier markets. Small-scale formats (such as snacks, fast food, beverages, bread, and desserts) and hot pot and barbecue are the main categories in the county-level catering market, collectively accounting for a significant percentage of the catering market. Data from Canliyan indicates that the number of hot pot outlets in lower-tier markets (third-tier cities and below) accounts for a higher percentage compared to first and second-tier cities.

In recent years, new tea beverage brands have rapidly expanded into third-tier cities and below. Data shows that the market for freshly made tea beverage shops in third-tier cities, as well as fourth-tier and lower-tier cities, has grown rapidly. The market size increased from XX billion yuan and XX billion yuan in previous years to XX billion yuan and XX billion yuan in the current year. Additionally, as of the beginning of the year, there were already over XX thousand chain tea beverage stores in county-level regions, with an average of XX chain new tea beverage outlets per county. These figures indicate that categories like hot pot and milk tea are excessively concentrated in small towns, leading to fierce homogenized competition. Behind the seemingly thriving number of stores lies consumer fatigue toward repetitive dining options.

The "Annual County-Level Life Service Consumption Report" released by Meituan Research Institute indicates that niche dining categories are also gaining favor among county residents. Survey results show that % of county residents prefer to dine at niche or previously unvisited restaurants when eating out; the order volumes for relatively niche categories such as Middle Eastern and African cuisines in county areas increased by % and % respectively in the first three quarters of the year compared to the previous year.

"Nothing to do at the mall except eat" — small county commercial complexes are caught in the dual pressures of "dependence on dining" and "entertainment desertification." The phrase vividly illustrates the dilemma of monotonous business formats in these malls. On-site visits by reporters revealed that in a large commercial complex in a county in Shandong Province, dining establishments typically account for over % of the businesses, while entertainment options targeting young people make up only %. This structural imbalance directly leads to a "mall loop of dining and leaving," where young people flock to the mall only to eat together but quickly depart due to the lack of other consumption scenarios, creating a low-quality cycle of "high foot traffic, short dwell time, and weak consumer loyalty."

The lack of entertainment options in small county towns is quite evident. For instance, a commercial complex in a county in Shandong Province only includes a cinema and an area for electronic gaming equipment, and some traditional shopping malls don't even have a cinema. In contrast, a commercial complex in Jinan City features entertainment projects such as script murder rooms, indoor surfing experience shops, and game sharing centers, with entertainment formats accounting for more than a certain percentage. Meanwhile, a trendy social shopping mall in Beijing is renowned for being a youth-exclusive mall, where most retail stores sell popular anime merchandise "Guzi shops" favored by young people, along with board game shops. The few clothing stores available also cater to young people's preferences for niche fashion like Hanfu and Lolita.

However, the current surge in demand for "light socializing" is met with a supply gap. Many young people are seeking "light social entertainment" characterized by "low barriers, strong interaction, and fragmentation." Xiao Xie, a young person who returned to her hometown for employment, told reporters that she wanted to make silver jewelry with her best friend, but the nearest studio is in the city, kilometers away. Xiao Zhang, a college student, complained: "There's only one board game cafe in the whole county, and it's all about Werewolf. If we want to play 'Blood on the Clocktower,' we have to organize it ourselves and buy the props."

"Want to try something new but can't find anyone to join" In the cultural and recreational lives of young people in small towns, there exists a significant gap between emerging niche entertainment demands and the limited local resources available. Despite their strong interest in diverse and personalized activities, the reality is that there are very few options to choose from. This contradiction is particularly evident in the competition for public spaces. Xiao Wang, a 25-year-old bank clerk, describes the situation: "We bought frisbees, but there isn’t a single decent lawn in the entire county. We finally found an open spot in the square, but at night, it’s crowded with elderly people exercising and children playing." The shrinking public space highlights a deeper conflict in resource allocation—limited facilities still cater to traditional forms of entertainment and have failed to evolve with the changing needs of the younger generation.

The lack of cultural consumption is forcing young people to migrate outward. Xiao An, a college student, travels to the provincial capital four times a year to attend comic conventions. The only anime-related activities in his county town are crude cartoon character performances during mall promotions, which starkly contrast with the comprehensive comic conventions held in the provincial capital that include fan creations, voice actor meet-and-greets, and professional competitions. He has calculated the costs: "A high-speed train ticket costs a certain amount, the entrance fee is another sum, and adding in food and accommodation, attending one comic convention costs half a month's living expenses."

The more subtle and far-reaching impact of the shortage of high-quality resources in the cultural and entertainment sector is reflected in the fragmentation and shrinkage of social networks among young people. In first-tier cities, young people can use online social platforms such as Douban groups and WeChat communities to conveniently initiate and organize various offline activities, continuously expanding their social circles. In contrast, young people in county towns lack diverse and rich cultural and entertainment activity scenes, and their social activities are confined to the narrow scope of acquaintances. Xiao Na, who just graduated and stayed to work in her hometown, expressed her helplessness: "I saved a guide on oil painting experience on Xiaohongshu. When I tried to invite friends to participate, I asked around my entire circle of friends, and in the end, only my mom was willing to accompany me. However, she thought that spending money to paint an oil painting was far less practical than buying two pounds of pork ribs."

What's Happening with County-Level Entertainment Consumption?

Outdated Business Operation Thinking On the supply side, business decision-makers are generally constrained by path dependence. The blind pursuit of "safe business formats" by commercial real estate developers essentially reflects a misjudgment of the youth consumer market and risk aversion. A person in charge of a commercial complex in a certain district or county stated that the cash flow in the catering industry is relatively stable, and children-oriented businesses can effectively capture family consumer groups. In contrast, the preferences of young consumers are volatile, and their enthusiasm for so-called "trendy stores" is highly uncertain. This mindset has led the mall to excessively favor catering and children's education in its business layout, gradually turning it into a "collection of chain fast-food restaurants."

At the same time, entertainment formats favored by young people, such as scripted murder mystery games, are being excluded from investment attraction due to their low expected revenue per unit area, or low sales per square foot. This conservative investment strategy significantly restricts market innovation and creates a notable disconnect with the actual demands of young consumers.

Additionally, in the process of county-level economic development, entrepreneurs often exhibit a tendency to blindly follow trends. Many lack in-depth market research and rational analysis, simply chasing market hotspots and overly relying on "low-barrier, easily replicable" business models. This approach overlooks the reality that the younger generation in the internet era has been widely exposed to and is familiar with diverse entertainment and consumption models.

The inefficiency of supply-demand matching Amid the current wave of digital transformation, the dissemination of consumer market information and the landscape of supply-demand matching are undergoing profound changes. Represented by younger generations, the emerging consumer groups have established a new consumption loop of "instant experience—social sharing—identity recognition" through behaviors like product recommendations on Xiaohongshu and check-ins on Douyin. However, some businesses on the supply side still adhere to traditional commercial logics such as "location is king" and "bigger is better," failing to innovate and adapt to the trends of the times. There is a noticeable lag in adjusting information dissemination strategies, resulting in low efficiency in supply-demand matching.

In the promotional practices on social media platforms, most businesses are limited to posting superficial content such as "discount promotions," severely lacking in-depth content operations for their products or services. The singular mode of information dissemination struggles to effectively spark the consumption interest of young consumers in county areas, leading to the actual impact of information dissemination falling short of expectations. This severe disconnect between supply and demand ultimately traps the county's cultural and entertainment ecosystem in a vicious cycle: "the more conservative the business strategies, the scarcer the cultural and entertainment experiences for consumers, and the more young people tend to flee the local consumer market." To break this deadlock, it is imperative for the government, businesses, and all sectors of society to collaborate in advancing the county's cultural and entertainment industry.