The pearling industry in Hong Kong began in 963 and flourished during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period . According to the "Nanhai Zhi", there are 13 places in Hong Kong that are rich in pearl oysters, including Tai Po, Deep Bay, Lung Kwu Tan, Qingluojiao, and Litchi Zhuang. Tai Po Sea is also known as Meichuan Pond, and its pearl production is as famous as that of Hepu in Guangxi.
In ancient times, Liu Xiong, the last emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty, established Meichuandu in Taipuhai, and 2,000 people were recruited to dive into the sea to collect pearls. Although the local pearl farmers were good at diving in the deep sea, they still suffered a lot in the face of the huge amount of pearl tribute, and countless people died. Seeing this tragic situation, in the fifth year of Kaibao in the Song Dynasty (972), the court, which implemented benevolent policies, abolished the people's pearl diving. Later, Fang Xinru's poem "Meichuandu" made this history traceable - "The endless clouds of sorrow mourn Meichuan, and the clams shine brightly at night. The ghosts under the water are still crying, and they regret not being born in the Kaibao period."
But in the Yuan Dynasty, the pearling industry was open and closed. Later, in the early Ming Dynasty, pearling was only half a pound of pearls after nearly five months of pearling in Tai Po. The imperial court believed that the pearls had been exhausted and issued an order to abolish the pearling industry in Hong Kong.
Since pearls have such a close relationship with Hong Kong, how can Hong Kong people miss this hidden pearl? In ancient times, pearl harvesting was unstable and the pearl oysters were easily exhausted. Therefore, in modern times, Hong Kong pearls have been transformed into pearl farming models to survive.
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