Hainan Island is one of the areas with the richest pearl oyster resources in the world. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "the pearls in the east are not as good as the pearls in the west, and the pearls in the west are not as good as the south pearls." Most of Hainan's best pearls come from Sanya and Lingshui. Pearls from Hainan Island
Lingshui has the best breeding environment. The local sea water quality is clear, rich in plankton, stable in temperature and salinity, and free from pollution. The water temperature is suitable and the sea temperature is generally between 20-30°C, which provides good conditions for the growth of pearl oysters. Pearls are used as
High-end decorations have been widely recognized by the market and are priced at a reasonable price.
In ancient times, pearls were a symbol of status and wealth, especially a representative of female authority. The ancient "phoenix crown" was inlaid with pearls. As a world-famous beauty and beauty treasure, it also has a history of more than 2,000 years.
, was selected as the queen of beauty by the courts of all dynasties. It is said that the four beauties in ancient China all used pearl powder as their secret recipe for beauty. According to reports, Concubine Yang Guifei of the Tang Dynasty always used pearl powder internally and externally, so that her skin remained delicate and delicate all year round, which was passed down to generations.
Humanity's understanding of the decorative and medicinal value of pearls originated two thousand years ago. "Kaibao Materia Medica" first recorded that pearls are called "true Zhu". Ancient Chinese medicine books believe that pearl powder is sweet, salty and cold in nature.
, has the effects of calming the nerves and calming convulsions, clearing the liver and improving eyesight, detoxifying and promoting muscle growth, relieving fire and removing acne. By the Ming Dynasty, it was quite popular for women to use pearls for beauty. Li Shizhen recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Painting the face makes people feel better."
It moisturizes and gives good color; it can be applied on the hands and feet to remove the dull skin."
Hainan pearls mainly include white butterfly mother-of-pearl, which is unique to the South my country Sea. Hainan pearls are large and of high quality. The largest king pearl has a diameter of 15T5 mm and a height of 19 mm. Seawater pearls are handmade into decorative items such as necklaces, earrings, and corsages. , rings, etc., with fine craftsmanship, gorgeous crystals, and complete grades. There is also nacre powder, which is good for health and beauty and is relatively cheap, and is a popular souvenir in Hainan.
In the Ming Dynasty, Hainan was famous for producing small pearls of very high quality. At that time, the capital city had a scene of “houses full of utensils and boxes full of treasures”, and “precious jade, qiongzhu, Yunnan gold, and more green”.⑨
The Portuguese colonist Tomé Pires in the 16th century also said of Hainan that “there are a lot of small pearls there”.①
Pearls from the Qionglei area have become a best-selling item in the Southeast Asian market, so they are favored by pirates. Especially Li Mao's party, "his party repeatedly stole pearl pools"②. Through the pearl trade, it undoubtedly provided huge wealth to the Li Mao Group
According to "Yazhou Chronicles": "Sanya slope is full of silver, which is often obtained by pedestrians. According to legend, it is called Maowan." ③ This may be that Li Mao buried it in a hurry after occupying Yazhou during the Longqing period.
There was a large amount of silver. Other pirates also often raided the Pearl Pond. For example, in the seventh year of Chenghua (1471), someone drove a two-masted ship to Lei and Qiong's Mansion to steal Pearl Pond④.
①(Ming Dynasty) Hu Yi et al.: "February of the ninth year of Yongle" in Volume 113 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty".