How many people in China are actually trading cryptocurrencies now?

A friend of mine told me he invested 15,000 yuan to buy some #山寨币 , which was recommended by a colleague. The location is in a third-tier city in the north.

I was quite surprised at the time, after all, #币圈 isn't very popular anymore, and people in the north tend to be relatively rational. How come there are still newcomers entering the market?

With the economic situation being so tight, has everyone started to 'bet' on the digital currencies in their phones?