One in five sweaters worldwide comes from Dalang—this small town in Dongguan has established its weight in the wool textile chain. On June 24, the 23rd Textile Trade Fair, the 10th Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference, and the 95th International Wool Textile Conference opened simultaneously in Dalang for the first time. This triple convergence is not a simple calendar overlay but a high-density reorganization of industrial resources.
Triple Convergence: Resource Density and Signal Strength
Three top-tier industry events in the same city is unprecedented in the wool textile sector. The International Wool Textile Conference brings global benchmarks—this edition will release the Dalang Wool Textile Global Index. The Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference focuses on living heritage and industrial transformation. The Textile Trade Fair showcases the full chain from yarn to finished garments. Together, they form a closed loop: standard-setting, storytelling, and commercial landing.
This design reflects a reflection on traditional exhibition models. Previously, trade fairs only facilitated transactions. Dalang's approach aims to accomplish three tasks in one event: set standards, tell stories, and sell products. For buyers and suppliers, this means higher information density and faster decision-making efficiency within the same timeframe.
From 72 Billion to 100 Billion: Structural Change Behind Scale
Dalang's full wool textile chain has surpassed 72 billion RMB in annual transaction volume. But the more notable change is structural. At this fair, AI sweater models, waterproof and anti-static sweaters, and temperature-regulating skin-friendly sweaters were displayed—not as lab concepts but as mass-produced products.
Changes at the upstream yarn level are even more intuitive. Local companies demonstrated nano-level waterproof, oil-proof, and stain-proof yarns. Soy sauce spilled on the fabric beaded up and rolled off; a rinse with water left it clean. Dalang develops nearly 10,000 new yarn varieties annually, holding two-thirds of China's fancy yarn patents, making it the country's largest wool yarn distribution hub. As functionality becomes standard, competition shifts from “warmth” to “technology plus comfort.”
Digital transformation in equipment is also accelerating. The town has 150,000 computerized flat knitting machines and nearly 10,000 seamless forming machines, achieving full digital coverage of core processes. The design-to-ship cycle has shrunk from 7-10 days to 2-3 days, with product quality rates exceeding 99%. This means Dalang can now handle small-batch, fast-turnaround orders at scale, offering brands and buyers a new competitive edge in supply chain speed.
Intangible Heritage and Smart Manufacturing: Two Seemingly Parallel Lines Converge
The “Intangible Heritage Coexistence” section of the fair deserves scrutiny. A heritage fashion show featured the unicorn pattern as a core visual symbol, with local enterprises and heritage inheritors jointly creating 36 original knitted garments. Meanwhile, high-precision robotic arms and wool lion heads were displayed alongside 3D vision voice claw machines, letting visitors experience “AI plus heritage” interactively.
This combination is not for spectacle. As the wool industry enters a stock competition phase, cultural differentiation becomes a key source of brand premium. Merging heritage elements with smart manufacturing essentially gives products a story to tell—particularly valuable for export-oriented industries, as overseas buyers often show higher willingness to pay for “cultural added value” than for purely functional products.
A New Narrative for Regional Branding: From 'Made in Dalang' to 'Standard by Dalang'
The signing ceremony included agreements on textile heritage standards and certification, and strategic cooperation on heritage and product innovation, covering the entire chain from culture to quality to market access. More notable is the progress of the “Dalang Weaving Valley · Greater Bay Area Wool Textile Reception Hall” project, positioned as a world-facing comprehensive service platform for the wool textile industry, located at the exit of Metro Line 1's Dalang station. It aims to transform physical space into an industrial service hub.
Dalang's ambition goes beyond being a production workshop. By launching an AI sweater model and a global wool textile index, it is trying to upgrade from a manufacturing base to a rule-setter. For other participants in the supply chain, this means that future collaboration with Dalang may hinge not just on price and delivery, but also on digital integration capability and willingness to co-create culturally.