Moving money from Shenzhen to Hong Kong on the black market

Inside China's Underground Black Market Banks

“We have a relative in Hong Kong who does business in Mainland China,” one of the Zhous said. “Once a week, he visits us to pick up Renmenbi for his import business, and in return he maintains a pool of Hong Kong Dollars for us across the border. He is family, so we trust him. We all avoid the official exchange rates, and everyone is happy.” Unless a client makes an extraordinarily request, this exchange involves about $500,000 per week, though it could be up to fivefold that amount if it is a public holiday, like during Golden Week in October.