An estimated 1.8 million Bitcoin, a digital currency, were traded through BTC China in November, the platform with the highest trading volume in the world, according to statistics gathered by bitcoincharts.com, which provides financial and technical data related to the Bitcoin network.

Some economists said Bitcoin has heated up at a time when Chinese people are searching for new investment channels.

Bitcoin first came into the Chinese public eye in April this year, when movie star Jet Li's One Foundation received a donation of several hundred Bitcoin to help quake-stricken Sichuan Province. Chinese financial institutions are banned from trading in Bitcoin.

The price of one Bitcoin stood at about $1,117 on December 4 on Mt. Gox, the world's best-known Bitcoin trading platform. At the same time, the price of gold per ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange was around $1,214.