China’s Pearl Capital Zhuji Showcases Freshwater Industry in Paris

In Paris, Zhuji did more than show pearls. It tried to recast a vast, anonymous supply chain as a brand with a name, a geography and a future, using an independent showcase at Oriental Paris to launch the Zhuji Pearl (Europe) Promotion Center and put Shanxiahu Town’s freshwater pearl industry in front of European buyers.

The timing mattered. The April 23 event in Paris was presented as part of Zhuji’s 2026 Go Global strategy, and it arrived with hard numbers behind the ambition. By the end of 2025, Shanxiahu’s pearl industry had surpassed 50 billion yuan, about $7.32 billion, with exports reaching more than 70 countries and regions. Official reporting also placed Zhuji’s pearl sector at more than 9,000 related enterprises in 2024, while first-quarter sales in 2024 reached 11.2 billion yuan, up 19.5 percent year on year, including 6.5 billion yuan in online sales, up 18.9 percent.

That scale is exactly why the Paris move reads as a repositioning play rather than a simple trade fair appearance. Zhuji already sits at the center of global freshwater pearl production, with one 2025 industry report putting 2024 output at 600 tonnes and 70 percent of world production. Shanxiahu has also been described as accounting for 80 percent of China’s domestic market and 73 percent of global market share, while the China Pearls & Jewelry International City has operated since 2008 as the world’s largest freshwater pearl trading hub. The challenge now is not access to supply; it is prestige.

That is where presentation becomes strategy. The Paris program included a discussion between Zhuji pearl businesses and French designers on turning Chinese pearls into an international brand language, alongside design innovation, cultural storytelling and contemporary consumption. Chen Xiaying, president of the Zhejiang Pearl Industry Association, used the event to frame Shanxiahu pearls as more than an industry, underscoring the shift from commodity language toward cultural value. Zhuji has been building toward this for years: in 2023, officials said more than 200 domestic and international designers had visited Shanxiahu, and the World Pearl Design Contest had been hosted there for a third consecutive year.

The broader lesson for pearl jewelry is clear. The luxury centers that endure, from Antwerp to Valenza, do not rely on volume alone; they build authority through education, design ecosystems and visible permanence in key markets. Zhuji is now trying to do the same with freshwater pearls. If the Paris center becomes a real trade platform, not just a ceremonial address, it could shift how retailers assess origin, design pedigree and value in the category, moving freshwater pearls further into the language of global luxury.