Textile Intangible Heritage Meets Knitting Cluster: The 10th Conference Reveals Path to New Quality Transformation

One out of every five sweaters globally is produced in Dalang, Dongguan—a knitting cluster that churns out 900 million pieces annually and is now becoming a new testing ground for the living heritage of textile intangible culture. Behind the 72 billion yuan in total industry chain transaction value in 2025 lies a vast ecosystem of 30,000 market entities and 200,000 employees. When millennia-old weaving techniques meet the world's largest knitting supply chain, the result is not just sparks but a replicable paradigm for industrial upgrading.

Event Background: Two-Way Empowerment Between Heritage and Industry

On June 25, the 10th China Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference opened at the Dalang Knitting Trade Center. Co-hosted by the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) and the Dalang Town Government, the event was themed 'Heritage Symbiosis, Weaving the Future.' It featured a main forum, a heritage fashion show, project exhibitions, and site visits to local knitting enterprises. Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, CNTAC, and Guangdong Province attended, signaling high-level policy support for the 'heritage + industry' integration model.

Dalang's knitting industry began in the 1980s, evolving from a processing base into the world's most complete knitting supply chain. Today, the town boasts a full ecosystem covering yarn sourcing, design, production, and logistics, producing about 20% of the world's sweaters. This industrial foundation provides ready-made supply chain support for the large-scale application of heritage techniques.

Industry Impact: From 'Living Heritage' to 'New Quality Productive Forces'

The core signal from the conference is that textile intangible heritage is no longer a museum specimen but a productive factor that can be integrated into modern industry. Deng Xiaoding, a second-level inspector from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, explicitly stated that promoting the living inheritance and innovative transformation of textile heritage is a key path to cultivating new quality productive forces and building a modern industrial system. This means the valuation of heritage will shift from a cultural preservation dimension to an industrial economic dimension.

Specifically, Dalang has already seen the emergence of benchmark 'knitting + heritage' enterprises. Yinxiang Prairie focuses on high-end cashmere, combining traditional dyeing techniques with cashmere knitting. Tongmen Fashion integrates Chaozhou hand-hook craftsmanship with computerized flat knitting, balancing handcrafted texture with mass production efficiency. Zhouhong Fashion emphasizes the deep integration of aesthetics and knitting techniques. These cases show that the industrialization of heritage is not a simple label; it requires systemic innovation in material selection, process adaptation, and cost control.

CNTAC President Sun Ruizhe pointed out in his keynote that heritage is a lifestyle, a cultural asset, and a regional identifier. He proposed that heritage innovation should integrate into the service economy, intelligent economy, and tech-driven economy. This effectively points to three transformation directions for industrial clusters: enhancing product value through heritage content, restructuring production processes with digital tools, and developing new materials and techniques using technology. For buyers and factories, this means the supply chain needs greater flexibility to handle small batches and multiple styles driven by heritage elements.

Practical Recommendations

For Buyers - Prioritize suppliers with proven 'heritage + mass production' balance, focusing on process standardization and delivery reliability. Dalang's cluster already includes companies that have digitized handcraft techniques, converting traditional patterns into computer programs for rapid sampling. - Differentiate between 'cultural narrative' and 'functional upgrade' heritage products. The former suits high-end retail; the latter (e.g., plant-dyed or antibacterial knits) fits mass markets. - Leverage Dalang's integrated supply chain to combine heritage design sampling with yarn sourcing and finishing in a single order, reducing communication costs and development cycles.

For Export Companies - Monitor tariff preferences and certification requirements in EU, Japanese, and Korean markets for 'sustainable cultural products.' Some countries include items with traditional craft elements in green trade lists, potentially lowering export barriers. - In pricing strategies, list the added value of heritage techniques separately to avoid being priced down as ordinary knits. Follow the example of Yinxiang Prairie, which uses brand storytelling and process traceability to command premiums. - Establish stable cooperation mechanisms with heritage inheritors to ensure process continuity and intellectual property protection. Consider a 'design licensing + output sharing' model rather than lump-sum purchase to reduce upfront risk.