Pearl industry thrives in Shanxiahu township, E China's Zhejiang

As the first light of dawn broke at a freshwater pearl farm in Shanxiahu township, Zhuji city, east China's Zhejiang Province, the air was filled with the rhythmic sound of shucking river mussels. More than 100 workers worked together to shuck mussels, gather pearls, and sort them.

59-year-old Wei Guosong was one of the trailblazing pearl farmers in the township. Having acquired the skills from a pearl farmer in east China's Jiangsu Province during the 1980s, he embarked on cultivating river mussels in his village.

A woman promotes pearl necklaces via livestreaming in Shanxiahu township, Zhuji city, east China's Zhejiagn Province. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

"I now own over 2,000 mu (about 133.33 hectares) of farming land in Huzhou, Zhejiang, and more than 500 mu in Lianyungang, Jiangsu. I am currently in the process of establishing a new base in Anhui Province to further expand," said Wei.

Zhuji city accounts for 80 percent of China's freshwater pearl production and sales. The pearl industry in Zhuji is concentrated in Shanxiahu township, which occupies less than 43 square kilometers and is home to fewer than 30,000 residents.

The production process of pearl products is complex. After being extracted from river mussels, pearls must be sorted into various grades according to their color, size, and shape before being threaded into pearl necklaces for sale.

According to He Tianping, head of Tianhai Pearl Farming Co., Ltd. in Zhuji, all these tasks were once done by hand. "The pearls we bought from mussel farmers came in different sizes and shapes, so manual sorting was necessary. During the busiest sales periods, we worked around the clock, but still found it challenging to keep up," He said.

Nowadays, He's company has one color sorting machine and eight shape sorting machines operating 24/7, requiring only one person for supervision.

The machines never rest because sales never stop.

The Huadong International Jewelry City in Shanxiahu township also buzzed with activity, drawing both domestic and international traders for business deals. Guo Nan, Party chief of the township, said in recent years Zhuji has made efforts to boost the high-quality growth of the pearl industry.

Some young entrepreneurs from the township are expanding their freshwater pearl business overseas, with Qian Shaocong being one of them.

"In around 2016, I ventured into e-commerce and capitalized on the trend of live-streaming e-commerce, which led to my initial success," Qian said.

In 2021, Qian expanded into cross-border e-commerce live-streaming, utilizing his expertise in domestic live-streaming e-commerce to grow his business across various countries. Today, he operates in multiple international markets.

"The market for cross-border pearl e-commerce still has vast potential. I hope more people will join in and help grow the market," Qian said optimistically.