World applauds ivory ban, but experts say illegal trade may rise

The family regards the ivory ban as a personal death sentence.

"For a long time, my family has earned a humble living by carving ivory balls. We strongly believe in passing on our skills, but now we can only see the end of the line," Weng said.

"We don't know what will happen in the future, and no work can be done at the factory. Having nothing to do makes us feel even worse. The factory pays us 1,600 yuan ($250) a month, which is barely a living wage in Guangzhou."

As a result, the 25-year-old plans to make a new start in Hong Kong, just an hour by bus from his home.

In July, Hong Kong's Legislative Council announced a bill that would ban the ivory trade in 2021, but a final decision has yet to be made. That means the trade will continue in the city for at least three more years.

Inactive sector

However, while Weng believes Hong Kong will provide a period of grace for craftsmen from the mainland, many experts and market researchers are less optimistic.

The Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department conducted a survey of the city's ivory trade between February and April 2016.

The results revealed that the local ivory trade is effectively inactive because approximately 90 percent of the city's reserves were purchased before 1990 and the last ivory transaction happened in 2011.

In 2016, the Hong Kong government announced that it would reduce the sale and processing of ivory, aiming to end the trade completely within five years.

Since then, the price of tusks has fallen from tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars per kilogram to less than HK$10,000 ($1,279), according to Pong Tat-lei, a local trader.

"The mainland ban is hitting Hong Kong's ivory traders hard because most of our clients come from the other side of the border," he said.