The Awarding of Deqing Freshwater Pear Mussels Composite Fishery System

BEIJING, Nov. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 31 in Rome, Italy, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) handed a blue certificate to representatives from Deqing, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, officially including the county's " Deqing Freshwater Pear Mussels Composite Fishery System" in the United Nations' "Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems" (GIAHS) list. This moment marks Huzhou's second GIAHS honor (the first being the "Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System" in 2017) and increases the number of GIAHS in China to 25, ranking China first in the world.

FAO in Rome designated Deqing's pearl-mussel system as GIAHS on Oct 31

Deqing's long-standing history as the origin of artificial freshwater pearl cultivation, dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty, around 800 years ago, has led to the development of a unique composite aquaculture system. This system, which integrates various aquatic species, not only ensures a natural ecological cycle but also provides a sustainable model for balancing economic interests and environmental protection.

Notably, on October 22, during the UN GeoNow in Deqing, Dejan Jakovljevic, Director of Digitalization and Informatics of FAO said that digital technology and heritage protection are seamlessly connecting. We can use digital tools and modern technology to provide scientific support for heritage protection, sustainably safeguard the millennium-old pearl-harvesting ecosystem, and use digital means to promote "Deqing Freshwater Pear Mussels Composite Fishery System", not only protecting it but also giving it new life.

This awarding is not only an affirmation of the over-800-year pearl-cultivating wisdom of the Chinese people but also opens a new window for international cooperation and the integrated development of the "pearl +" entire industrial chain in Deqing's pearl industry, promoting Jiangnan pearls to the world. For Deqing, the GIAHS title and digital innovation are intertwined paths to the future, combining tradition and technology and providing a new way for agricultural heritage to rejuvenate.