When the global wool industry bundled an international summit, a full-industry-chain exhibition, and an intangible cultural heritage festival for the first time, Dalang proved with 3.6 billion yuan in intentional transactions that upgrading traditional industries is not about single-point breakthroughs but systemic restructuring.
The Industrial Logic of the Three-in-One Event
The event, concluded on June 26, packaged the 95th International Wool Textile Conference, the 23rd 'Weaving Fair,' and the 10th Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference. It drew 35,000 buyers and nearly 2,000 exhibitors, with buyer numbers and intentional transactions up 16% and 18.5% year-on-year respectively. For buyers, this means Dalang is no longer just a processing base but a comprehensive industrial hub integrating R&D, design, and cultural output.
Procurement teams from top domestic brands like Huimei Fashion, UR, and SHEIN attended, alongside buyers from over 20 countries including Russia, France, and Poland. Two specialized matchmaking events—the Dalang Woolen-Brand Apparel Procurement Matchmaking Conference, which secured over 20 deals worth 30 million yuan, and the 'Chain on Dalang, Weave the Future' production-marketing matchmaking conference, which added 20 million yuan in intentional orders—demonstrate a shift from broad sourcing to targeted matching, reducing trial costs for buyers.
Dual Drive: Smart Manufacturing and Intangible Heritage
Functional woolen sweaters took center stage at the exhibition: waterproof, anti-static, and anti-fouling fabrics; constant-temperature phase-change yarns; Japan-certified cooling yarns; and breakthrough fire-resistant technologies. These are no longer lab concepts but mass-producible. The prevalence of integral forming technology, 3D digital modeling replacing manual pattern-making, and flexible production lines adapting to small-batch, fast-response orders mean brands can cut design-to-garment cycles by over 30%, a direct cost advantage for fast fashion and cross-border e-commerce.
Intangible cultural heritage elements added differentiated value. Designer Wang Dong collaborated with local firms to embroider inheritor Wan Gongxue's unicorn patterns into 36 original fashion pieces, all 'Made in Dalang.' Special 'Weave·Core' and 'Weave·Soul' displays featured wool-collaged 'Colorful Cloud Auspicious Dragon,' reviving Lingnan culture in knitwear. This cultural empowerment lifts Dalang woolens beyond price wars, opening spaces in high-end customization and cultural IP.
Global Consensus on Green Transformation
The International Wool Textile Organization's Wool Green Paper made its global debut in Dalang, covering regenerative grazing and traceability systems. Industry representatives from over 20 countries discussed green transformation and global supply chain coordination. Multiple agreements were signed at the opening, covering intangible heritage standard co-construction and industrial innovation integration. The message is clear: green certifications and traceability will soon be entry barriers for supplier selection, not just bonuses.
Dalang town subsequently announced acceleration of the 'Dalang Weaving Valley·Greater Bay Area Wool Spinning Reception Hall' project and the Xiangtou contiguous 'industrial renovation' project, targeting a 100-billion-yuan industrial scale. Digitization, smart manufacturing, and branding are listed as three core transformation directions.