Lack of investment channels means fewer choices for seeking wealth, reports Jiang Xueqing in Beijing.

Having closely monitored the performance of a financial management company for more than four years, Hou Yanjie finally decided to buy a trust product recommended by an account manager she's familiar with. The product requires investment of at least 1 million yuan ($163,000), and the expected annual rate of return is around 9.5 percent.

The 30-year-old Beijing-based newspaper editor also invested in a number of funds and bought paper gold - certificates that equate to the physical metal - and paper silver. She sold the paper silver in early April but is holding on to the paper gold, which is worth about 30,000 yuan. The price of physical gold slid from $1,561 to $1,482 an ounce on April 12 and $1,348 on April 15, and whether it will rise or fall over the long term remains a mystery to her.