Special report:   2008 Olympic Games

A pair of shells grown with the Beijing Olympics emblem are shown at the 6th China (International) Pearl Festival in east China's Zhejiang Province on Friday, April 18, 2008. (Photo: cnsphoto) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, April 20 -- A pair of shells grown with the Beijing Olympics emblem made appearance at the 6th China (International) Pearl Festival held in east China's Zhejiang Province.

    The shells are gifts produced by Zhejiang-based company Grace Pearl, a Beijing Olympics sponsor, China News Service reported.

    Since the company received the authorization to produce the Olympic licensed products two years ago, Grace Pearl began to cultivate freshwater mussels with molds in the shape of the Beijing Olympics emblem. Finally, they selected about 10,000 shells from among 200,000 pieces as souvenirs for the Olympics.

    Freshwater pearl farming is a unique industry in China. Nearly 99 percent of freshwater pearls in the world are cultivated in China, but accounts for only 9 percent of global output value. The Olympics gives China a great opportunity to promote and develop this industry, said the report.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)