An increasing number of Beijingers have chosen to pawn their unwanted Spring Festival gifts, such as jewellery and digital products, according to Tuesday's Beijing Daily.

An employee in the Beijing-based Baorui pawnshop, surnamed Xu, told the newspaper that the trade volume of mobile phones and digital cameras soared during the Spring Festival, as most families have been well-equipped with digital products, and they preferred to exchange their gifts for cash.

"Watches and jewellery are also being frequently mortgaged during significant holidays, as some people do not like the designs of the watches and jewellery given to them," said Xu.

Other citizens choose to acquire their favorite items from the abundance of goods in pawnshops shortly after major holidays.

In a bid to prevent pawnshops becoming a channel for the disposal of illicit goods, all the city's pawnshops have been placed under the supervision of the police authorities.

Details on the goods and the pawner's personal information, such as ID card number and pawn ticket number, have all been collected and transmitted to the network of public authorities, according to an official of the Ministry of Public Security.

"If the pawned goods are found to match the illicit goods registered by the police authorities, the network of the public authorities would soon sound the alarm," said the official.

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2006)