The city of Zhaoyuan lays its golden eggs in many different baskets. In the Western world, jewelers and many other retailers pin most of their hopes for success on what they expect will be the busiest time of the year, Christmas. For many, that trading period, beginning as early as November and stretching until Christmas Eve, can make or break their annual finances.

However, Zhaoyuan is in the fortunate position of being able to rely on a steady and healthy stream of income all year round.

Yes, there can be spikes in sales at gift-giving times such as Christmas and Valentine's Day, but the gift that keeps giving to the gold dealers of Zhaoyuan is a Chinese penchant for buying gold bars and jewelry to diversify their investments.