China | Bean counting

China’s young people are rushing to buy gold

They seek security in troubled times

Gold beans for sale in a jewelry story in Shanghai, China
Itty-bitty blingPhotograph: Getty Images
|BEIJING

CHINA’S GOLD market, which accounts for about a fifth of global sales, used to attract an older crowd. Many buyers were middle-aged women looking to add to their nest-eggs or buy chunky bracelets. But these days Chinese gold shops regularly serve customers in their 20s. Xiaohongshu, a social-media site favoured by “Generation Z” (those born between 1997 and 2012), is buzzing with talk of the precious metal.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Bean counting”

From the April 27th 2024 edition

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