One out of every five sweaters in the world comes from Dalang, Dongguan. This knitwear cluster, producing 900 million pieces annually, is now attempting to inject a new variable—intangible cultural heritage—into its industrial foundation. On June 24 this year, the 10th Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference kicked off simultaneously with the 23rd Dalang Knitwear Trade Fair and the 95th International Wool Conference. The convergence of three major events sends a clear signal: Dalang is no longer content to be a global sweater OEM; it wants to tell a story about cultural assets.
Background
Dalang's GDP reached 47.37 billion yuan in 2024, with textile and apparel as its pillar industry. Producing 900 million sweaters annually means contributing roughly one-fifth of the global total estimated at 4.5 billion pieces. This scale forces a shift from volume-driven to value-driven growth. Since its inception in 2017, the Textile Heritage Conference has toured Zhejiang, Beijing, Yunnan, Liaoning, and other regions. Its first landing in Dalang this year capitalizes on the town's dual foundation of industry and culture.
The conference theme is "Heritage Symbiosis, Weaving the Future." On-site signings covered five dimensions: heritage standard co-building, industrial innovation integration, quality system upgrade, brand supply-demand coordination, and carrier investment attraction. The signing of the "Textile Heritage Standard and Certification Cooperation" is particularly critical—it provides a quantifiable passport for heritage products to move from workshops to international shelves.
Industry Impact
The integration of traditional heritage techniques (such as dyeing and hand embroidery) with knitwear processes is altering product cost structures. Dalang sweaters previously competed on efficiency and price; now a new variable enters: cultural premium. Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, stated that consumers now prioritize health, self-expression, and emotional connection. This means purely functional fabrics are insufficient; products must carry stories and identity.
For buyers, this is both opportunity and challenge. On one hand, sweaters with heritage elements can command higher retail prices, avoiding low-price competition. On the other, the supply chain must adapt—from design incorporating heritage motifs (e.g., Lingnan Qilin) to production blending hand embroidery with industrial knitting, and to quality inspection passing heritage certification. Each step adds complexity. Local company Impression Grassland has already experimented with plant dyeing on cashmere and crossovers with Song brocade and Xiangyun silk. Such experiments are moving from case studies to systematic approaches.
The heritage fashion show featured three chapters—"Qilin Awakening," "Qilin March," and "Qilin Glory"—with design elements from local heritage inheritor Wan Gongxue's patented Qilin pattern. This model of "local IP + local manufacturing + local design" signals Dalang's attempt to establish its own style label rather than following fast-fashion rhythms.
Practical Recommendations
For Buyers - Focus on signed enterprises (e.g., Impression Grassland, Tongfa, Xinhongfeng) for heritage series; they have institutional endorsement ensuring quality and delivery reliability. - Include "heritage process standard" clauses in procurement contracts, referencing the upcoming textile heritage certification procedures to avoid disputes over process descriptions. - Trial small-batch orders of heritage-fusion items to test end-consumer acceptance of cultural premiums before scaling.
For Foreign Trade Companies - Leverage the global trade bridge function of the Dalang Knitwear Fair to pitch heritage-certified products as differentiated selling points to European, American, Japanese, and Korean buyers, especially ESG-focused and sustainable fashion buying groups. - Monitor raw material trends from the International Wool Organization (IWTO) and combine heritage dyeing processes with eco-friendly wool sourcing to create a "culture + green" dual label, enhancing bargaining power. - Prepare early for heritage standard certification; the cooperation between Zhonglian Pinjian and Dalang means certification thresholds will soon be clarified. Early adopters gain first-mover advantage.
Dalang's transformation is not isolated. From Keqiao to Shengze, from Nantong to Foshan, China's textile clusters are all seeking a path from "manufacturing" to "smart manufacturing" and then to "cultural manufacturing." The heritage conference's arrival in Dalang essentially serves as an accelerator for industrial upgrading—using cultural narrative to reconstruct the value chain, turning sweaters from mere wearable fabrics into "wearable cultural assets." For global buyers, this means Dalang is evolving from a sourcing destination into a brand incubation hub.