One out of every five sweaters worldwide is made in Dalang, a small town in Guangdong known as the 'World Knitting Capital.' In late June 2025, Dalang staged an unprecedented 'three conferences in one' to redefine its position in the global wool textile value chain.
The Multiplicative Effect of Industrial Clustering
On June 24, 2025, the 23rd 'Knitting Fair,' the 10th Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference, and the 95th International Wool Textile Conference opened simultaneously in Dalang. This marked the first time three top-tier industry events were held at the same time and place, signaling Dalang's ambition to transform from a single production base into a global hub for the wool textile industry.
The data supports this ambition. Dalang's full industrial chain generates an annual transaction value exceeding 72 billion yuan. The town operates 150,000 computerized flat knitting machines and nearly 10,000 seamless forming machines, achieving 100% digital coverage in core processes. The cycle from design to delivery has shrunk from the traditional 7–10 days to just 2–3 days, with product quality rates exceeding 99%. Such efficiency is rare in the global wool supply chain.
For buyers, this means Dalang is no longer just a 'order-taking factory' but a complete ecosystem offering yarn R&D, design sampling, intelligent manufacturing, and logistics. The event attracted over 30,000 visitors from around the world, a direct testament to the cluster's appeal.
Technology Upgrade: From 'Black Tech' to Systemic Capability
The most striking technological breakthrough at the fair was not a single innovation but a complete digital ecosystem. An AI sweater model was unveiled, capable of intelligent style generation, pattern design, and automatic parameter breakdown. The companion OPC design agent further lowers the entry barrier for small and medium factories to handle small-batch, multi-style orders quickly.
In the upstream material segment, functional yarns took center stage. Local firm Nanxi Garments demonstrated nano-level waterproof, oil-proof, and stain-resistant yarns: soy sauce beaded and rolled off on contact, and a simple water rinse left the fabric spotless. Other new yarns included cooling, heat-shielding, UV-resistant, warming, deodorizing, and antibacterial varieties. Dalang develops nearly 10,000 new yarn varieties annually and holds two-thirds of China's fancy yarn patents, making it the nation's largest wool yarn distribution center.
On the equipment side, next-generation intelligent flat knitting machines and seamless forming equipment were showcased. Leading companies like Xinhongfeng have deployed these machines alongside AI design tools, achieving full-process digitalization from design to finished product. A dedicated AI customization experience zone allowed visitors to try a '2-hour instant garment' service—a capability highly attractive to fast-fashion brands and cross-border e-commerce sellers.
Notably, the Dalang Knitting ERP big data system was also introduced. It connects data nodes across order, production, warehousing, logistics, and sales, enabling real-time production tracking, dynamic inventory control, and intelligent business analysis. This signals that Dalang's digital capability has extended from production to management, providing foundational support for supply chain coordination.
Heritage Transformation: Making Culture a New Engine for Premium Pricing
The 10th Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference was not a mere cultural showcase. Dalang collaborated with China's top-10 fashion designer Wang Dong, local leading enterprises such as Impression Prairie, Tongfa, and Xinhongfeng, and inheritor Wan Gongxue to produce 36 original knitted garments. These pieces used 'Kirin Blue' and 'Beast Crimson' as primary colors, unfolding in three chapters—'Morning Life,' 'Urban Commute,' and 'Evening Gala'—to transform the intangible heritage kirin pattern into a modern fashion language.
The commercial logic behind this transformation is clear: when the global wool market faces commoditization, cultural narratives create differentiation and premium. Dalang's approach combines heritage with intelligent manufacturing—inside the exhibition hall, high-precision robotic arms performed alongside knitted lion heads, while 3D vision voice-operated claw machines let visitors experience 'AI + heritage' interactively. This 'technology + culture' combination is becoming Dalang's passport to high-end markets.