One out of every five sweaters in the world comes from Dalang, Dongguan. This knitting powerhouse, producing 900 million sweaters annually, is now trying to infuse millennia-old intangible cultural heritage into modern looms. On June 24, the 10th Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference kicked off simultaneously with the 23rd China (Dalang) Knitting Products Fair and the 95th International Wool Conference. This 'three-in-one' effect sends a clear signal: Dalang's knitting industry is shifting from 'manufacturing scale' to 'cultural branding'.
Background
Dalang, located at the geometric center of Dongguan, boasts a GDP of 47.37 billion yuan, with the knitting industry as its absolute pillar. Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, stated at the opening that the industry faces systemic changes, with consumers increasingly focusing on health, self-expression, and emotional connection. This means the old model of competing purely on capacity and price is dead; cultural empowerment is the key to breaking through.
The conference theme is 'Intangible Heritage Symbiosis, Weaving the Future', with core actions including signing multiple strategic cooperation agreements covering five dimensions: intangible heritage standards certification, product innovation, quality service systems, brand supply-demand matching, and industrial park investment. The signing of the 'Textile Intangible Heritage Standards and Certification Cooperation' is particularly critical—standardization is the passport for heritage products to enter the market. Previously, the lack of unified standards hindered the scaling and commercialization of heritage techniques; this agreement could change that.
Industry Impact
For buyers and brands, what does this transformation mean? The most direct change is increased product added value. Local enterprises like Yinxiang Grassland, Tongfa, Xinhongfeng, and Lanmei, together with China's top ten fashion designer Wang Dong, launched a heritage fashion show featuring the Lingnan Qilin pattern as the core design symbol, a patented product by local artisan Wan Gongxue.
This strategy of 'wearable cultural assets' is reshaping procurement logic in Dalang. In the past, buyers came for price and delivery; in the future, they will come for design copyright and cultural narrative. Party Secretary Dong Tie explicitly stated the goal: to make ancient dyeing techniques and fine hand embroidery add cultural depth to knitwear, creating 'wearable cultural assets'.
From a supply chain perspective, this trend will ripple upstream. The cross-integration of plant dyeing, Song brocade, and Xiangyun silk with cashmere and wool means yarn and fabric suppliers need to stock more specialty raw materials and process capabilities. Meanwhile, the upgrade of quality service systems—as seen in the 'Dalang Knitting Industry Quality Service System Co-building Agreement'—will force factories to improve quality control standards to meet high-end, brand-oriented orders.
Practical Advice
For Buyers - Prioritize suppliers with exclusive heritage design copyrights (e.g., the Qilin pattern patent); such products command premium pricing. - Focus on items combining plant dyeing or hand embroidery with knitwear, which already show significant premiums in European, American, Japanese, and Korean markets. - Request heritage certifications or standard endorsements from suppliers to reduce procurement risk and enhance brand marketing narratives.
For Foreign Trade Companies - In Western markets, sustainability and cultural storytelling are top selling points. Package heritage techniques as 'Oriental handcraft wisdom' to effectively raise unit prices. - Establish long-term collaborations with local Dalang design talent (e.g., top ten fashion designer Wang Dong) to secure exclusive design resources. - Leverage the trade bridges of the Knitting Products Fair and International Wool Conference to push differentiated heritage items as breakout hits to overseas buyers and brands.
Since its inception in 2017, the Textile Intangible Heritage Conference has traveled through Zhejiang, Beijing, Yunnan, Liaoning, and other regions. Its current stop in Dalang capitalizes on the unique advantage of 'industry plus culture'. For the industry, Dalang's practice offers a replicable model: in an era of overcapacity and shrinking margins, culture may be the last moat.