According to the latest statistics from the China Gold Association, domestic primary gold production in the first quarter of 2020 totaled 82.63 tonnes, a decrease of 10.14 tonnes, or 10.93% year on year, compared with the same period in 2019. Of this total, 67.00 tonnes were produced from gold mines, while 15.63 tonnes came from non-ferrous metal by-products. In the first quarter, China’s actual gold consumption amounted to 148.63 tonnes, down 48.20% from the same period in 2019. Breakdown: gold jewelry accounted for 92.04 tonnes, a year-on-year decline of 51.06%; gold bars and gold coins totaled 37.67 tonnes, down 46.97%; and industrial and other uses reached 18.92 tonnes, a drop of 32.04%. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, stringent prevention and control measures implemented nationwide, combined with rising gold prices, have significantly dampened demand for gold jewelry and gold bars. Throughout the first quarter of 2020, gold prices generally trended upward, with an average price of US$1,585.22 per ounce, up 21.58% year on year.