Pearl Factory

	Pretty girls show off beautiful pearls - or the other way round

Pearl factory, cloisonne factory, carpet factory, they're all variations on the theme of parting the tourist from his hard-earned and gaining the guide some commission. Budget travellers' purses don't stretch to such things as pearls or other highly priced trinkets, so we went through the first pearl factory at high speed and were little impressed by the near incomprehensible patter of the girl who allegedly showed us how pearls were formed.

This "factory" in Guilin, which we visited on the way back from the Reed Flute Caves, adopted a novel and charming approach to the sales demonstration by staging a full-on floor show, even though there was just the two of us. Had I not been concentrating on holding the camera steady, I would have joined in my wife's applause at the end of the show.

We still didn't buy anything but had it been the beautiful girls rather than the beautiful pearls that were for sale I might have been seriously tempted - solely as a present for my wife, you understand!