WUZHOU, Guangxi (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Artificial gems, as a substitute for diamonds, with their variety, style, beauty and, in particular, their huge price advantage, are being well received by buyers at home and abroad.

Wuzhou, an eastern city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region that has close links with the Pearl River Delta, is widely held to be the world capital for artificial gems and a trading centre that now serves China and the rest of the world.

'I came here as a migrant worker from my hometown in Sichuan province. Now I run my own business here. The artificial gemstone-processing business is a burgeoning industry in Wuzhou,' said Mr Bai Ling, who has been working in the artificial gemstone-processing business in Wuzhou for nearly two decades.

'Most of our business was from Guangdong before 2003. Then merchants from European and ASEAN economies began trading with us,' Mr Bai added.