Gold shipments to the Chinese mainland from Hong Kong fell 32 percent in 2014 from a record a year earlier. The decline came from lower prices which failed to boost the purchases of bars, coins and jewelry amid a clampdown on corruption and an economic slowdown.

Net imports by the mainland were 750 tons last year, down from 2013 when shipments more than doubled to more than 1,100 tons, according to calculations by Bloomberg News based on data from the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department. Imports in December fell 36 percent from the same month last year, according to the figures.

Demand for luxury goods including bullion has been hurt by an anti-graft drive in China, while volatility that sank to a four-year low and a rally in stock markets damped interest in the metal as an investment.