Qiu lives on the floating "home" on the sea not far from the pier of Liusha Village-the cage culture raft of pearl shells. Liusha Village, known as the first pearl village in China, is famous for its rich pearls and good pearl processing. This is the earliest place to cultivate pearl mussels in China, and pearls are exported to more than 50 countries and regions overseas.
Qiusheng lives by breeding pearl shells. He bought underage Pinctada martensii from the hatchery, kept it in a net basket for about a year, and then sold it to Zhu Min. These pearls are implanted in pearl cores and hung on piles in the sea. After two years of cultivation, the pearl has grown up.
The interview with Liusha Village coincided with the pearl picker's opening the shell to get the pearl. I saw Miss Nanzhu insert a thin knife into the shell and pry it gently, and the shell suddenly opened. The outline of two pearls under the shell suddenly appeared, and only two silver-white round pearls rolled out of the plate. The pearls produced locally are silvery white, blue-black, and beige, and their colors are as elegant as moonlight and as changeable as sunset glow.
Before coming to Liusha Village, I didn't expect pearls to be "produced" in such an understatement. Just half a century ago, the cultivation of pearl shells was considered a "fantasy". In the past, pearl pickers had to dive into the sea to find shellfish. Pearls were very rare, so it was difficult to find a pearl.
Pearl shell is delicate, can't stand cold and heat, and is also afraid of stormy waves. Suitable for living in a harbor with stable water temperature, calm wind and waves and proper fresh water input. Beibu Gulf has a suitable climate and is an ideal environment for pearl oyster to survive. In ancient times, Beibu Gulf was famous for producing pearls. However, natural pearls are extremely rare. For thousands of years, its brilliance has shone on the crown of emperors, the decoration of ladies and the throne of Buddha. It has always been regarded as a special gift from nature to human beings, so ancient pearl picking was mostly controlled by the imperial court. In 2 18 AD, Emperor Wu of Jin ordered the army to guard Lianzhou Pearl Pool, which was rich in pearls, and stipulated that people were not allowed to go to the sea to collect pearls. In the later dynasties, Hepu Pearl Pond in Guangxi was also under the key jurisdiction.
Liusha village was originally a small fishing village on the Beibu Gulf. However, nowadays, due to the successful breeding of pearl oysters, China's Beibu Gulf has become the center of the South Pearl River. The market here can affect the world jewelry price. Liusha Village is close to the bay, with the leeward facing the sun, fresh air and rich natural bait. It is the earliest place to cultivate seawater pearls in Leizhou Peninsula. Nowadays, standing in Liusha Village surrounded by Liusha Port, pearl farms and hatcheries at sea come into view. On the sea, wooden stakes and rafts for cultivating pearls are scattered all over the place. A leaf boat, shuttling between rafts.