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Shanxiahu town in Shaoxing produces nearly 80 percent of China's and 70 percent of the world's pearls. [Photo/shaoxing.com.cn]

The 2020 World Pearl Congress will be held in Shanxiahu town, Zhuji, a county-level city in Shaoxing, from Nov 13 to 15, according to an announcement made at a press conference for the congress on Oct 26.

The logo for the congress will be released for the first time at this year's event, and Shanxiahu town will be designated the permanent site for the congress.

The event will consist of a series of activities, forums, and exhibitions themed around pearls. The 2019 White Paper on the World Pearl Industry's Development will also be released during the congress.

Zhuji has held 11 China international pearl festivals, helping promote pearls produced in Shanxihu town around the world. This year's congress will be attended by a number of professionals from over 20 pearl and jewelry companies in Germany, Spain, Columbia, and South Africa.

Shanxiahu town is China's largest base for cultivating, processing, trading, and researching pearls. It was named "China's pearl capital" by the Development Research Center of the State Council.

The town produces nearly 80 percent of China's and 70 percent of the world's pearls. It is currently home to more than 2,500 pearl companies, forming an industrial cluster with a complete industrial chain.

With help from livestreaming, cross-border e-commerce, and other new trade models, Shanxiahu has seen a rise in pearl orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

From January to September, online sales of pearls in Zhuji were valued at 10.02 billion yuan ($1.5 billion), a year-on-year increase of 25.27 percent.