Looking around on any street in Dalang Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, one can always encounter signs related to woolen weaving – “XX cashmere”, “XX textile”, “XX zipper factory”… Woolen weaving enterprises are blooming everywhere here. It is hard to imagine that this place does not produce a single strand of wool, but it is the largest core distribution center for wool textile trading in the country.
In 1979, Hong Kong businessmen came to Dalang and opened the first local woolen weaving factory, marking the beginning of the development of the local woolen weaving industry. Many people from Dalang have gone through the process of starting their own businesses, from working as workers in factories to working in single family workshops, and then starting factories. They have created a beautiful life with their diligent hands.
In 2002, Dalang was awarded the title of “Famous Town of Chinese Woolen Sweater” by the China Textile Industry Federation (formerly the China Textile Industry Association). Afterwards, Dalang woolen weaving developed rapidly, replacing hand looms with computerized flat knitting machines on a large scale, achieving technological innovation, and further transforming towards fashion and branding.
Over 20 years have passed in a blink of an eye, and the pace of the Dalang woolen industry has moved from a small town in southern China to the whole world. In November 2023, Dalang signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the China Textile Industry Federation to jointly build the “World Woolen Capital”. This also means that Dalang has taken another step towards its goal of becoming a global model of China’s modern textile industry system.
Woolen signs can be seen everywhere on the streets of Dalang
The First Village of Chinese Woolen Weaving Rise from Family Workshops
The streets hang woolen weaving signs, and the weaving machines make a sound in the alleys… This is the Xiangtou Community in Dalang Town, Dongguan, known as the “First Village of Chinese Woolen Weaving”. This small village, covering an area of approximately 3.4 square kilometers, has over 95% of its land covering the core area of woolen trade.
It is unimaginable that not a single wool is produced here, and the villagers used to make a living through agriculture and poultry farming. How did the weaving machine change the development trajectory of Xiangtou Village? The story starts 45 years ago.
In 1979, the wave of reform and opening up swept across the southern land, and at this time, Hong Kong’s woolen industry planned to shift to the Pearl River Delta. Chen Qiushun, who was then a cadre of the Xiangtou Brigade in Dalang Town, learned that a Hong Kong businessman was interested in investing in a woolen weaving factory in Dongguan and was currently selecting a site in Shenzhen. He quickly rushed to Shenzhen with his colleagues to persuade them to visit Xiangtou.
Collaboration is a perfect fit. Hong Kong merchants opened the first woolen weaving factory in the village at Xiangtou – Zhixing Woolen Weaving Factory, operating under the “three incoming and one supplement” model (incoming processing, sample processing, incoming assembly, and compensation trade). Due to limited construction land in the village, the factory buildings were renovated using office space vacated by the village committee.
The original site model of Zhixing Woolen Weaving Factory restored by Xiangtou Village Historical Museum
Most young people in the village work as workers in a woolen factory. After working for several years and accumulating experience and savings, they buy their own looms and start small workshops at home. The production of woolen textiles includes processes such as stretching, sewing, dyeing, ironing, packaging, etc. The factory outsources each process separately, and the home workshop earns processing fees by accepting orders.
Chen Yong, a villager from Xiangtou (pseudonym), was one of the first batch of crab eaters. In 1986, Chen Yong and several colleagues jointly established a small woolen weaving workshop. At this time, the people in the alley were earning hard-earned money. Chen Yong’s son, Chen Zhiqiang, recalled that the hand loom at home started ringing at 6 o’clock in the morning and could not finish work until 7 o’clock in the evening, with only one day off per month.
The hardworking person earns the first bucket of gold first. In the 1990s, when Chen Zhiqiang took over his family business after graduating from high school, his small workshop had been upgraded to an independently operated woolen weaving factory. Coincidentally with the development of the domestic economy and the prosperity of the people’s lives, the aesthetic level has also improved. There is a strong demand for sweaters with bright colors and diverse styles, and many woolen factories in Xiangtou Village are welcoming spring. Chen Zhiqiang still vividly remembers one year when he took on a big order from a Guangzhou boss to make a synthetic fiber wrap skirt, earning 10 yuan per piece. He earned 100000 yuan on this order, while at that time, the average person’s monthly salary was only about 500 yuan.
Government subsidy of 2000 yuan per computer loom for technological innovation
Capturing the rapid development momentum of the woolen industry, in 1995, the Dalang Town government seized the opportunity and promoted the establishment of the Guangdong woolen market; In 2002, Dalang was awarded the title of “Famous Town of Chinese Woolen Sweater” by the China Textile Industry Federation (formerly the China Textile Industry Association). In 2003, the Dalang Woolen Trade Center was established in the local area, gradually developing into a core hub for woolen trade nationwide.
Under the empowerment of both internal and external factors, woolen mills are blooming everywhere in Dalang. Lidu Knitting Clothing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Lidu Knitting”) and Impressionist Clothing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Impressionist”) were representative enterprises established during this period.
Lidu Knitting was founded by local entrepreneurs. Shortly after the factory opened, the woolen weaving industry entered a period of equipment transformation – fully automated computerized knitting machines were widely introduced into the domestic market, and compared to traditional hand looms, the production capacity increased by nearly 7 times; And only one worker is needed to synchronously operate 7 to 8 computer horizontal machines.
Matched with it is the high price of machinery. The person in charge of Lidu Knitting recalled that at that time, a computerized flat knitting machine was priced at over 100000 yuan, which was difficult for small factories to afford. To promote “machine replacement”, the Dalang government has launched a series of subsidy policies, offering a subsidy of 2000 yuan for purchasing a computer loom worth over 100000 yuan. Thanks to the spring breeze of policies, the machinery of Lidu Knitting has been updated and replaced, greatly improving production efficiency. In the early 21st century, the annual output value reached 20 million yuan.
By 2016, the number of computerized flat knitting machines in Dalang Town had exceeded 50000, making it the region with the highest and most concentrated use of computerized knitting machines worldwide. In the 1920s, the technology of Da Lang woolen weaving began to further develop towards intelligence, strengthening the application of technologies such as “intelligent counting”.
In addition to being the first to innovate in knitting machinery technology, Dalang Woolen Weaving Enterprise is also innovating in spinning, dyeing and other process technologies. Impressionism is a leader in the field of wool dyeing. Mr. Li from the New Technology Application Department of the company introduced to Jimu News reporters that Impressionism began researching plant dyeing technology in 2005. Compared to chemical dyeing, plant dyeing is more environmentally friendly and produces softer colors. In terms of clothing, plant dyed wool is more skin friendly, suitable for infants and young children or people with sensitive skin; It also has natural antibacterial properties, which can better protect the human body.
In addition, Impressionism also made breakthroughs in the color fastness of plant dyed fabrics, allowing plant dyed products to achieve the same color fastness as chemical dyeing.
Impression Grassland Laboratory
“Fashion trend made in Dongguan”, with a designer’s base salary of up to 20000 to 30000 yuan
Technological innovation has brought the processing and production industries of Dalang woolen fabric into a fast lane. The next industry transformation track, Dalang aims at product research and development design.
“The most common slogan we used to say was’ Big Lang Woolen Weaving, Warming the World ‘; now it has become’ Fashion Trend, Made in Dongguan ‘,” said Xu Guoyou, director of the Dongguan Woolen Weaving Fashion Designer Association. This Jiangsu designer has been following his wife to establish a woolen design enterprise in Dalang for more than ten years, and jokingly claims that he is already from Xinguan.
Xu Guoyou told Jimu News reporters that when he first arrived in Dalang, the woolen design industry here was still a desert, with factories mainly producing according to the plate and rarely hiring designers. He and his wife decided to start their own business and establish a design studio. “Dalang is very friendly to entrepreneurs and has a relatively low threshold. Even those like us who are not wealthy can take root,” he said.
With the wave of industrial upgrading, the importance of designers has gradually become prominent, and their salaries have also been improved. Previously, a designer’s monthly salary was only five to six thousand yuan, but now a good designer’s base salary can reach two to three thousand yuan. With commissions, their income can be even higher. Xu Guoyou’s design studio has also developed into a small enterprise with a professional R&D department and outsourcing factories, mainly serving mid to high end chain brands, with customers from both domestic and international markets.
“Now when customers come to the factory, they first ask if there are any designers, their design capabilities, and how many new styles can be produced each quarter. Whether a garment is purely processed or has design content, the profit is completely different.” Pi Huailong, Vice President of Dongguan Woolen Clothing Designers Association, told reporters, “Even if it’s just plate production, brand companies tend to prefer factories with designers, which facilitates communication of product technology and better reproduction of design manuscripts.”
Therefore, the current Dalang woolen industry is eager for talented designers. But compared to first tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, Dalang also faces the dilemma of not being able to retain design talents. Pi Huailong said that young designers now aspire to a higher quality of life. He hopes that Dalang can improve its supporting hardware facilities and provide preferential policies in accommodation and other aspects to better attract design talents.
“We are paying attention to this issue,” said Ren Binbin, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Woolen Weaving Management Committee in Dalang Town. In order to gather the joint efforts of Dalang designers, the local joint designer association has built a dedicated designer salon venue to provide them with a communication atmosphere.
Afterwards, Dalang also plans to hold a College Student Fashion Week, inviting students from the Pearl River Delta studying fashion design to hold a graduation design exhibition in Dalang, allowing young people to see Dalang and Dalang’s woolen industry. Dalang has also launched a wool weaving talent station, which facilitates free accommodation for college students during their job search period.
Designer Salon Venue
Launching the “Dalang Youxuan” brand to create the “World Woolen Capital”
In addition to talent introduction, the biggest challenge for Dalang Woolen Weaver currently is “branding”. On March 8th, nearly 200 companies from Dalang Woolen Weaving just finished their three-day exhibition at the China Textile Federation Spring Joint Exhibition. It is noteworthy that many corporate booth signs are decorated with the logo “Dalang Youxuan”.
It is understood that the “Dalang Optimal Selection” project is a comprehensive brand promotion plan launched in 2023, led by the government, jointly initiated by the five major associations of Dalang woolen industry and Shejie Technology Group. This project selected 30 of the most promising and excellent enterprises from the local area of Dalang as the “Dalang Selected and Recognized Enterprises”, and selected 106 reserve cultivation enterprises for team building.
“Dalang Youxuan” Product Exhibition
In addition, “Dalang Youxuan” will also set up enclave exhibition halls in Guangzhou, Guangdong, Tongxiang, Zhejiang, Suifenhe, Heilongjiang, Dalian, Liaoning, and Chengdu, Sichuan, showcasing the charm of Dalang’s woolen products nationwide.
“We want to develop Dalang Woolen into a regional public brand, and ‘Dalang Optimal Selection’ is one of the key points. Then, through regional brands, we can further drive the development of corporate brands,” said Ren Binbin.
To this end, Dalang held large-scale exhibitions locally, bringing the world’s attention in. Every November, the International Woolen Products Fair (hereinafter referred to as the “Fair”) arrives as scheduled, and as of 2023, it has been successfully held for 20 sessions, providing a platform for production and sales coordination and industry exchange for the domestic and foreign woolen industry.
“The Weaving Fair is’ to B ‘, facing wholesalers and brand merchants.” Ren Binbin introduced, “And every December, we will also hold the Dalang Sweater Festival directly targeting consumers, allowing citizens and friends to enjoy the benefits of Dalang’s woolen industry development and enhance the local woolen culture atmosphere.”
Not only did Dalang Woolen Industry “bring in”, but it also actively “went out”. Zhou Ganhua, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dongguan Wool Textile Industry Association, told reporters that one of the key tasks of the association this year is to organize enterprises to participate in large-scale exhibitions both domestically and internationally.
“We organize the ‘Dalang Woolen Domestic Tour’ event every year, visiting three to four key clothing trade cities in China to seek opportunities to directly connect with transactions. Zhou Ganhua told reporters, ‘There are international exhibitions overseas, and we will also go out together to grab orders, further enhancing Dalang Woolen’s international influence.’ Last year, Dalang Woolen enterprises participated in international textile exhibitions held in Indonesia and Japan, with a cooperative transaction volume exceeding 100 million yuan.”.
The internationalization development direction of Dalang Woolen Industry has been widely recognized in the industry. Last November, Dalang signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the China Textile Industry Federation to jointly build the “World Woolen Capital”. This also means that Dalang has taken another step towards its goal of becoming a global model of China’s modern textile industry system.
Signboard of “World Woolen Capital”
Industrial clusters gather strong distribution capabilities, with an annual output of 900 million sweaters
From the “famous town of Chinese woolen sweaters” to the “world woolen capital”, Dalang has embarked on a long development path of more than 20 years. Nowadays, Dalang has over 25000 wool textile market entities, over 200000 employees, an annual production of over 900 million sweaters, an annual sales of over 1 million tons of yarn, and an annual transaction volume of 75 billion yuan throughout the entire industry chain. “It can be said that out of every six sweaters in the world, one is made by Dalang,” said Ren Binbin.
In terms of professional supporting facilities, Dalang has formed a 10 square kilometer woolen trade city, as well as 4 large woolen professional markets, 6 woolen supporting areas, and 12 woolen professional streets.
Among them, the Dalang Woolen Trade Center located on Fukang Road has witnessed the changes of Dalang Woolen Industry for 20 years, and has grown into one of the largest, highest grade, and most complete supporting facilities for woolen product display and trading in China. The center covers an area of 120000 square meters, with a 5000 square meter indoor atrium, attracting over a thousand stores from all over the country to settle in. The collection exhibition hall of Dalang Optimal Selection is also located on the 3rd floor of the center.
In March, sweater trading entered the off-season, and people still came and went to the Dalang Woolen Trade Center to pick up goods. Several consumers who came to buy retail goods told reporters that they were introduced by locals and came to Dalang for shopping from other provinces. “I heard that the things here are cheap and good, and it’s worth visiting,” they said
The brand “Maishe” located on the 2nd floor of Dalang Woolen Trade Center is from Shenzhen and has been in operation for 3 years. On the afternoon of March 6th, a journalist from Jimu News visited the “Maishe” store and saw that the interior decoration was exquisite, and customers occasionally came in to look for styles. It is reported that the brand mainly follows the mid to high end route, independently develops styles, and focuses on wholesale. Its customers mainly include retail brands, online stores, and individual anchors.
Ms. Li, a store staff member, told reporters that the company chose to set up a location in the Dalang Woolen Trade Center because of its strong distribution capabilities. At the same time, the public impression of the center is that it has “good quality and high cost-effectiveness,” which coincides with the brand’s tone. “The property management service at the center is also very good, and we will promptly help solve any problems we have.”
The entry of the second generation of Mao Zedong injects new vitality into the future
“Service is one of the key words of the Dalang Woolen Weaving Management Committee,” Ren Binbin told reporters. In addition to continuously leading the development of Dalang’s woolen textile industry towards intelligence, greenness, high-end, and integration at the macro level, the Dalang government also continuously optimizes the business environment of the woolen textile industry at the micro level, creating a good development atmosphere for enterprises.
“This year, we plan to equip service commissioners for large-scale enterprises, which means setting up contact persons for key enterprises and assisting them in communication with the government at designated locations.” Ren Binbin introduced, “In this way, if enterprises have needs in land, water, electricity, employment, or any disputes arise, they can directly communicate with the government through service commissioners to improve work efficiency.”
In addition, the Dalang government will also make efforts in cultural construction to create a stronger woolen cultural atmosphere and further strengthen the construction of public supporting facilities.
The woolen industry has profoundly changed the lives of the Dalang people. Many Dalang people, like Chen Zhiqiang and his son, made a fortune by weaving and building new houses and driving new cars. After fading out of the “martial arts world”, they rented the factory house to the next generation of woolen weavers.
Under the favorable conditions of the industry, fresh blood continues to flow into the Dalang woolen weaving industry. Xie Yun (pseudonym), who is 25 years old this year, is a second-generation factory owner of Dalang. Her family owns a woolen weaving factory in Dalang. She originally had a stable white-collar job, and her parents wanted her to take a break. So this year, she resigned and partnered with her sister-in-law to open a store in the Dalang Woolen Trade Center.
Having just started her own business for less than a month, Xie Yun has ample enthusiasm. In the small store, popular English songs are playing, and new summer styles such as woolen short sleeves and knitted vests have been hung on neat hangers. Some of them are basic styles, while others have special Chinese style designs.
The designer of the Xie family was newly hired this year and is also a young person around 30 years old. Xie Yun hopes to create a unique brand appeal through her young gaze.
Xie Yun’s newly opened store
“Next, I plan to develop a short video account and ultimately increase orders from the factory through building the store’s brand,” Xie Yun said. When talking about the future of the store and Dalang Maozhi, Xie Yun’s eyes were filled with longing. Some local young people she knows are also entering the woolen weaving industry, hoping to pass on the legacy of their parents.
The small determination of countless woolen weavers from Xie Yun and Dalang has condensed into the ambition of this “woolen capital” to go global and explore a broader future.