One in every five sweaters worldwide comes from Dalang. This small town in Dongguan has declared its status as the 'World Capital of Wool Knitting' with a total annual transaction value of 72 billion yuan across its entire industry chain. On June 24, the 23rd 'Textile Fair', the 10th Textile Intangible Heritage Conference, and the 95th International Wool Textile Conference opened simultaneously for the first time. The historic convergence of these three top-tier events sends a signal far beyond a single exhibition.
The Industrial Significance of Three-in-One
In the past, the International Wool Textile Conference, the Textile Fair, and the Intangible Heritage Conference operated independently, focusing on technical standards, commercial trade, and cultural heritage respectively. This year, their joint debut essentially packages global industry discourse, full-chain exhibition and trade, and traditional cultural IP into one offering. For buyers, this means a closed loop from trend analysis and raw material sourcing to design collaboration can be completed within three days in Dalang, with efficiency far exceeding fragmented exhibitions. The presence of International Wool Textile Organization President Klaus Steger also confirms international recognition of this integration model.
Tangible Digitalization: From AI Models to 2-Hour Garments
The most compelling highlight of this year's fair is the tangible demonstration of technological achievements. The launch of the AI sweater model is no longer a conceptual stage—an immersive AI customization experience zone at the venue enables '2-hour rapid garment making'. This is backed by Dalang's hardware infrastructure of 150,000 computerized flat knitting machines and nearly 10,000 seamless forming machines, along with full digitalization of core processes. The data is telling: the design-to-delivery cycle for a sweater has been shortened from 7-10 days to 2-3 days, with product quality rates exceeding 99%. For foreign trade orders, this means flexible production capacity for small batches and quick reorders is already operational.
Another noteworthy detail is the nano-level functional yarn demonstration by local company Nanxi Apparel—soy sauce poured onto the fabric forms beads and rolls off, rinsing clean with water. Products featuring waterproof, stain-repellent, anti-static, thermoregulating, and skin-friendly 'black technology' are shifting wool knitting from a traditional warm-keeping category into functional and scenario-based tracks. Dalang develops nearly 10,000 new yarn varieties annually, holding two-thirds of China's fancy yarn patents. The innovation density at the upstream material end directly determines the differentiation space for downstream garments.
The Chemical Reaction Between Heritage and Manufacturing
The inclusion of the Intangible Heritage Conference is not a mere cultural decoration. The 36 original knitted garments were co-created by leading local enterprises and intangible heritage inheritors, combining traditional color schemes like 'Kirin Blue' and 'Auspicious Beast Crimson Red' with modern silhouettes, underpinned by a full-chain capability of 'Dalang design, Dalang production, Dalang presentation'. More importantly, heritage elements are presented through digital installations like robotic arm interactions and 3D visual claw machines, allowing younger audiences to engage in cultural learning through playful experiences. This 'AI + heritage' model offers a replicable path for industrial clusters to build brand premiums—when a sweater is endowed with a heritage narrative, its added value far exceeds that of purely functional products.
Infrastructure for the Hundred-Billion Goal
The launch of the 'Dalang Weaving Valley' project is the most pragmatic long-term move of this event. Located at the exit of Metro Line 1's Dalang Station, the project is positioned as a comprehensive service platform for the global wool textile industry. Its core building, 'Dalang's Eye', is not just an architectural landmark but also symbolizes the ambition to transform from a pure manufacturing base into a global trade hub. With Dalang's wool knitting industry targeting a hundred-billion-yuan scale, this platform will host functions such as index publishing, brand display, and trade matching. For tenant enterprises, this means lower customer acquisition costs for international clients and more efficient service support.