Sustainability of Pearl Raising for Jewelry Making, Medicinal ...
Abstract
This study focused on eleven aspects: materials, tools, process, identity, evaluation, price, storage, packaging, beliefs, marketing, and investment and drew research results from them. The research objectives were to study the historical and cultural background of pearl raising in Hepu county, Guangxi Province, the People’s Republic of China, to study the current situation and problems of pearl raising for jewelry making, medical health products, and medical cosmetics in Hepu County Guangxi Province, and to study the sustainability of pearl raising. Results found that, in the past, the local pearl products were regarded as an existing pearl treasure among the local people and were closely related to everyday life, including cultivating, processing, using, and wearing as ornaments and decorations. The behavior of local people was concerned with the local sustainability of pearl raising for jewelry making, medical health products, and medical cosmetics. The products were natural and spawned a vast treasure trove of local wisdom and local identities. Though, in recent years, the uses and aims of the pearl products were diversified, they remain essential items for local people and continue to exist at the subliminal level of society.