A striking contrast defines Qiyang's textile sector: 4,800 high-speed water-jet looms running around the clock produce over one billion meters of umbrella fabric annually, capturing 60% of China's domestic market—a rare single-product champion in a central county. Yet behind this scale lies a typical dumbbell-shaped supply chain: upstream nylon raw materials and pre-weaving processing are insufficient, while downstream high-value products such as down jackets and tents remain scarce. This mismatch between volume and value is the core challenge Qiyang must address.
From Single-Product Champion to Cluster Ecosystem
Qiyang's industrial foundation rests on over a decade of capacity accumulation. By 2025, the region had gathered 159 textile enterprises, including 41 above-scale firms and 25 specialized, innovative, or high-tech companies, achieving total industrial output of 8.094 billion yuan, accounting for 17.94% of the city's industrial output. From 2023 to 2025, output grew at an average annual rate of 11.5%. Baishui Textile Town became Hunan's only textile-focused characteristic industrial town, and the functional fabric cluster earned national recognition as a specialized SME cluster.
Notably, this cluster is not a simple agglomeration but has formed a clear tiered structure. Dongjun Textile leads with an annual output of one billion meters of umbrella fabric and 60% domestic market share; Kaisheng Shoes produces 11 million pairs of sports shoes annually; Yian Sports holds 33% of the global high-end helmet market; Shuofang Sports manufactures 10 million balls per year—an ecosystem of leading enterprises with supporting SMEs has taken shape. In terms of product categories, umbrella fabric, bag fabric, tent fabric, and high-end elastic fabrics all demonstrate strong supply capacity, with approximately 6,300 air-jet and water-jet looms across the city, and annual capacities of 300 million meters each for bag and tent fabrics.
Cost Dividends Coexist with Structural Gaps
Qiyang's locational advantages for industrial transfer continue to release. The region has integrated into the Pearl River Delta three-hour economic circle and is about to enter a 1.5-hour circle, with comprehensive factor costs more than 10% lower than coastal textile hubs. The establishment of the city's first county-level customs service station and enterprise service center, combined with policies such as ready-to-move-in standard workshops and flexible industrial land transfer, significantly lowers entry barriers.
However, cost advantages cannot mask supply chain fractures. Upstream nylon raw materials rely on external supply, and pre-weaving processing is inadequate, directly constraining supply chain stability and cost control. Downstream, the lack of independent brands and end-channel access means profit margins are still captured by brand owners and retailers. Meanwhile, the absence of auxiliary materials, public testing, industrial design, and other producer services prevents the cluster from upgrading in quality. This situation of 'can weave, but cannot make garments' is the hurdle Qiyang must overcome to evolve from enterprise aggregation to cluster upgrading.
Policy Support and the '1347' Action Framework
Facing the outdoor economy trend, Qiyang's response is not blind pursuit but follows a planned trajectory. From the 'park affairs handled in the park' full-process agency in 2020, to flexible industrial land transfer in 2021, to the customs service station in 2023, the local government has consistently reduced transaction costs through institutional optimization. In 2025, Qiyang further aligned with Hunan's 'Smart Empowerment for Ten Thousand Enterprises' initiative, offering free digital diagnostics and promoting university-industry collaborations with Central South University on outdoor functional fabric technology, aiming to drive industrial iteration through technological innovation.
More noteworthy is the '1347' action framework—anchored on the goal of building a nationally influential outdoor sports textile and apparel cluster, deepening the sub-industry chain. The essence is to push the industry from single fabric manufacturing to a full chain covering spinning, weaving, finishing, coating R&D, and finished products, leveraging technical accumulations in water-free pigment printing, functional finishing, and composite processing to climb toward outdoor apparel and equipment. The national '15th Five-Year Plan for Expanding Domestic Demand and Promoting Consumption' designating outdoor economy as a key cultivation direction provides macro support for this transformation.
Implications for Buyers and Foreign Trade Firms
Qiyang's case offers reference for the broader textile value chain. For buyers, the region's scale advantages in umbrella and bag fabrics imply stable supply and cost competitiveness, but upstream material inadequacies may cause lead-time fluctuations. For foreign trade enterprises, Qiyang's customs service and low-cost factors make it a potential option for relocating coastal orders, yet weak end-product development remains a cooperation gap.