Before the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chongqing was already the largest commercial port in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, a trade hub for the entire Great Southwest, and radiation affected the surrounding areas.
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, with the relocation of government agencies and industrial and mining enterprises, Chongqing's population increased sharply, and the demand for materials and commodities was strong, making the city full of business opportunities.
Many businessmen have chosen to set up shops in Chongqing to find new points of prosperity on this new commercial landmark, and Chongqing has become a paradise for upstarts and a paradise for adventurers.
At that time, the merchants who ran department stores were regarded as the most decent jobs in Chongqing.
Chongqing's business development was extremely rapid, in 1939 the number of members of the Chongqing Commercial Association was only 39, and by 1945 it had surged to 27,481, and the number of commercial employees had reached 234,000.
With the entry of foreign envoys and government officials into Chongqing, Chongqing's restaurants, hotels, cinemas and other related catering and entertainment industries have been built.
The Queen's Restaurant and the Kanshan Restaurant were both high-end restaurants frequented by celebrities and party and government officials at that time. Cinemas include Cathay Pacific, Renmin, Shangqing Temple Cinema and so on.
In particular, the Cathay Cinema located in the Liberation Monument, which has a 4-story brick and wood structure, a construction area of 1700 square meters, can accommodate an audience of 1450 people, which belonged to the first-class entertainment venue in Chongqing at that time.
At that time, the commercial center of Chongqing was in the current Liberation Monument, which was on Minquan Road and Minzu Road at that time. In the area of Zourong Road, a large number of commercial companies have moved to Chongqing, including the Famous China National Goods Company, Baoyuanyu, Huahua Company, Xinsheng Department Store, Guoguang Store, Shanghai Company and so on.