BEIJING, May 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On the crown of global agricultural heritage, a new jewel has been added. On May 19, news broke from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that the Zhejiang Deqing Freshwater Pearl Mussel Composite Fishery System, known as the “Deqing Pearl System”, has been added to the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) list for 2025. It becomes China’s first world-class agricultural cultural heritage project in aquaculture.
Heritage under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, is the earliest-recorded area for freshwater pearl farming. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, it achieved artificial freshwater pearl cultivation.
At Xiaoshanyang in Fuxi Street, fish glide and mussels nestle with clear water. The leftover fish feed and excrement cultivate plankton algae, which feed the pearl-bearing Mussels and purify the water in return, forming an ecological cycle. FAO expert Aicha Bammoun said the system is a model of combining agricultural wisdom with modern conservation, reflecting the enduring vitality of Chinese agricultural civilization.
In recent years, Deqing has been promoting the “pearl+” full-industry-chain integration. Currently, Deqing’s pearl deep-processing industry generates an annual output value of over 7 billion yuan, accounting for about one-tenth of the national total and providing employment for nearly 20,000 people.
Back in the late 1970s, Deqing began the systematic research on the origin of freshwater pearl farming. After more than 30 years of literature research and field surveys, it produced a series of results like “Proof of the Origin of Large-scale Cultivation of Artificial Pearls in Ancient China”. In June 2017, the system was officially recognized as China’s Important Agricultural Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. In September of the same year, Deqing launched the application for GIAHS. In 2019, it entered the GIAHS Preparatory List. In April this year, FAO experts conducted an on-site assessment in Deqing and finally confirmed its inclusion.
“As China’s first GIAHS project in aquaculture, the Deqing Pearl System builds a new bridge for Chinese traditional agricultural wisdom to reach the global stage and has exemplary significance,” said Min Qingwen, head of the Expert Committee on GIAHS under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He added that the successful heritage application is just the beginning, and continued exploration and promotion of the system’s value are needed.
