China's bankers and business executives have become increasingly reliant on domestic capital in recent years as foreign funding has dried up, but a popular way to unlock that cash may very well involve "throwing eggs". The term refers to Guandan, a poker-like card game that has been around for decades, but has gained fresh life among venture capitalists a few years ago as they awoke to its popularity among wealthy local government officials in eastern regions. "Officials like this game, so we play along," said Yang Yiming, an investment banker whose job involves canvassing government funding for projects linked to semiconductors and defence.