The Chinese textile industry is experiencing an unprecedented wave of collective party-building activities. From June 27 to 30, over a dozen leading enterprises—including Shenghong, Weiqiao, Ordos, Dasheng, Hongdou, Tongkun, Hengli, Huamao, and Yueda—held events such as commendation ceremonies, red study tours, themed party lectures, chorus performances, and cultural creative works to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The density and coverage of these activities are the highest in the past five years.
On the surface, this appears to be a series of ceremonial expressions. However, when viewed against the backdrop of the industry's current challenges—capacity adjustments, green transition pressures, and a structural shortage of skilled labor—the actual implications go far beyond political symbolism.
From Ritual to Management Tool
The most representative example is Shenghong Holding Group's 'Four Integrations' proposed by Party Secretary Miao Hangen: integrating party building with business operations, management system optimization, work style improvement, and talent cultivation. Shenghong, which faces capacity utilization fluctuations and rising environmental compliance costs in its chemical fiber and printing-dyeing segments, is essentially using party building as a low-cost means to enhance execution efficiency.
Dasheng Group's approach carries historical depth. On the 105th anniversary of the CPC, Dasheng also marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Nantong Independent Party Branch in its cotton mill. Party Secretary Bao Weidong explicitly called on party members to serve as 'cultural ambassadors' to embed the corporate spirit of 'seeking truth, innovation, dedication, and progress.' This leverages historical narrative to reinforce internal identity, countering the generational talent gap common in state-owned enterprises.
Ordos Group has built a remarkably dense party network: 13 party committees, 8 general branches, and 92 branches covering 1,956 party members. The group has won the 'Inner Mongolia Charity Award,' and 13 grassroots branches have been recognized as municipal-level 'Strong Fortress' units. This organizational density is rare among private enterprises, reflecting a growing emphasis on grassroots unit execution and compliance as the company scales.
Differentiated Strategies: Aligning Party Building with Business Pain Points
Each company's party-building focus reveals its core business challenges.
Hongdou Group directly translated the four dimensions of Yan'an Spirit into development pathways. Party Secretary Zhou Haijiang called for 'self-reliance and hard struggle' to counter market downturns. Facing dual pressures of consumption fragmentation and channel transformation in apparel and home textiles, the Yan'an Spirit's motivational value lies in its ability to inspire internal resolve without increasing financial costs.
Tongkun Group sent over 650 party members to Zunyi, Guizhou, for a red study tour, led by Chairman Chen Shiliang, Party Secretary Xu Jinxiang, and Deputy Party Secretary Chen Lei. Tongkun's corporate spirit—'unity, hard work, pragmatism, and innovation'—was framed as a contemporary version of the Long March spirit. Tongkun holds the world's largest polyester filament capacity, but overcapacity has squeezed margins since 2024. Strengthening a culture of 'united hearts and steady steps' aims to stabilize the team and reduce internal friction.
Hengli Group chose a 'Red Light and Shadow Creative Performance Competition.' Twelve party branches created original performances based on classic red films, integrating job insights. Hengli's integrated refinery-petrochemical project in Suzhou is now operational, demanding high employee innovation. This immersive approach attempts to convert red narratives into incentives for job innovation.
Dali Silk's path is uniquely industry-specific. Party Secretary Lin Ping gave a themed lecture blending silk road heritage with contemporary mission, while craftsmen created red-themed silk cultural products. As a silk fabric exporter, Dali is leveraging cultural narratives to boost product added value, meeting growing international demands for sustainability and cultural provenance.
Industry Implications: Party Building as a New Organizational Variable
Public data shows that most participating companies faced varying business pressures in 2024. Shenghong's PTA and polyester filament businesses were hit by raw material price volatility; Weiqiao's cotton spinning and aluminum sectors are in capacity adjustment; Huamao's cotton yarn business suffered from weak domestic demand; Yueda Textile faced import substitution competition in high-end fabrics.
Given this context, the intensive party-building activities cannot be simply attributed to political requirements. A more plausible explanation is that companies are using party building as a low-cost, high-coverage organizational management tool—it aligns goals, strengthens execution, and reshapes corporate culture without increasing payroll expenses.
From an industry transmission perspective, this efficiency improvement will ultimately manifest in three areas: first, capacity response speed—'project tackling' mechanisms within party building can shorten decision-making chains; second, compliance management—the party branch network helps quickly disseminate environmental and safety requirements to the front line; third, talent retention—red study tours and commendation mechanisms can mitigate rising turnover rates among younger employees.