Chinese dig deep to join the gold rush
The assistant pushed the red velvet sacks across the counter discreetly. The customer quickly slipped them into her bag. With a brief, nervous look around, she walked briskly from the shop, already clutching her car keys.

Few people feel comfortable lugging around a kilo of pure gold bars. But that doesn't stop Chinese shoppers from thronging to Caibai, the number one place for buying the precious metal. The Beijing store's 5,000 daily customers are at the forefront of a new gold rush.

A glass case close to the entrance – and closer to security guards – offers a clue to the hottest draw. Inside sits a 50kg, 24-carat bar: so big, it looks as though it should be made of chocolate and covered in foil. Upstairs, shoppers are buying smaller versions. To them, gold is not just a lavish gift or a reward for hard work, but a hedge against uncertainty and a potential money maker.

"This is the first time I've invested in it," said Ji Junqing, a 38-year-old accountant, hugging her treasure-filled handbag as she spoke. "I used the stock market before, but I think this is more stable. I've been reading about it in all the newspapers and magazines, so I'm putting in about 20% of my assets.

"Whether it's a short- or long-term move depends on how it fares, but I believe the price will keep going up. When you buy gold you see real gold – when you buy something else it's simulated."