As the global knitting industry struggles with commoditization and cost pressures, Dalang town in Dongguan has chosen a distinctly different path. On June 24, the 10th Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference, the 23rd China (Dalang) Knitting Products Fair, and the 95th International Wool Conference opened simultaneously here. Behind this triple-event is a manufacturing powerhouse producing 900 million sweaters annually—one-fifth of the global total—now attempting to inject soft cultural power into hard manufacturing.
The Industrial Foundation: A 900-Million-Sweater Manufacturing Hub
Located at the geometric center of Dongguan, Dalang has a GDP of 47.37 billion yuan. Public data shows this small town produces 900 million sweaters each year, meaning one out of every five sweaters worldwide originates here. This scale makes Dalang not just a processing base but a critical node in the global knitting supply chain. However, volume alone can no longer sustain growth. Industry data indicates that foreign trade orders have become fragmented and profit margins squeezed, pushing the industrial cluster to evolve from 'copy-sample production' to 'own-brand building.'
Heritage in Action: From Cultural Symbols to Wearable Assets
The core highlight of this conference is the tangible integration of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) with knitting. During the opening ceremony, the CNTAC ICH Office signed the 'Strategic Cooperation on ICH and Knitting Product Innovation' with the Dalang government and multiple local enterprises, committing to embed ICH techniques—such as dyeing, finishing, and hand embroidery—directly into product design and manufacturing. The runway show featured three collections—'Qilin Awakening,' 'Qilin March,' and 'Qilin Glory'—all using Dalang's local qilin pattern, a patented design by award-winning artisan Wan Gongxue, and executed from concept to industrial production by local leaders like Impression Plains, Tongfa, New Hongfeng, and Lanmei. This means ICH is no longer a museum exhibit but is transformed into mass-producible, wearable, and sellable fashion items.
Standardization Breakthrough: ICH Products Need a 'Passport'
A core pain point for ICH industrialization has been the lack of unified quality and certification standards. At this conference, the CNTAC ICH Office signed the 'Textile ICH Standards and Certification Cooperation' with Zhonglian Pinshi, marking the industry's first step toward a standardized evaluation system for ICH products. For buyers and foreign trade companies, this means a 'certified ICH' label could become a premium justification—an ICH-certified sweater may command higher brand premiums and consumer trust in markets like Europe and the US. Additional agreements included the 'Dalang Knitting Quality Service System Co-building Agreement' and 'Brand Supply-Demand Service Cooperation,' forming a complete chain from quality control to distribution channels.
Synergy Effect: The Industrial Logic Behind Triple Events
Choosing to run the ICH Conference, the Knitting Fair, and the International Wool Conference in the same window is not a simple schedule merger. The Knitting Fair connects global purchase orders, the Wool Conference brings cutting-edge technology and market trends, and the ICH Conference provides cultural narrative for products. Together, they package 'manufacturing capability + cultural value + global perspective' as one offering. For local Dalang factories, attending one event cycle allows them to accomplish customer acquisition, technology upgrade, and brand packaging simultaneously.