Dear Ross;-
    My nephew visits China regularly. I have asked him in the past to
try to find someone who lives along the coast who might be interested
in shell trading, selling, collecting, etc. The most frequent answer
is that he tried but in China, animal material is for eating, not
decorating. If the animal is too small even to eat, it can be used
for road surfaces, fertiizer, etc. I am sure that there must be a few
Chinese who are interested in shells, but I have no idea how to
contact them nor do I have any idea if they are in contact with
eachother. I am sure that Hong Kong may, for now, be the best bet.
And as Hong Kong opens to China, so will China open to Hong Kong. If
the entrepeneurs there can see a Dollar to be made, a little time
down the road may see species from that long coast of China offered
for sale.
         Art