Dalang Town in Dongguan produces 900 million sweaters annually, meaning one out of every five sweaters globally comes from this single town. On June 24, this knitting cluster, with a GDP of 47.37 billion yuan, simultaneously launched the 10th Textile Intangible Heritage Conference, the 23rd China (Dalang) Knitting Products Trade Fair, and the 95th International Wool Textile Conference. This triple event sends a clear signal: China's wool textile industry is shifting from scale-driven manufacturing to culture-driven production.
Data Behind the Transformation Pressure
Dalang's output numbers are impressive, but Textile Circle notes that pure volume growth is approaching its ceiling. Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, pointed out at the conference that the industry faces systemic changes, with consumers increasingly focusing on health, self-expression, and emotional connection. This means that the old strategy of low-price, high-volume sales is losing effectiveness; products must carry deeper cultural meaning and emotional value.
Dong Tie, Party Secretary of Dalang, put it more directly: technology makes the industry faster, but culture makes it go further. Behind this statement lies the industry's expectation of 'wearable cultural assets.' By integrating heritage techniques like dyeing and embroidery into knitting products, companies can boost added value and avoid homogeneous price wars.
What the Signed Agreements Reveal
Multiple agreements signed at the conference clearly outline the roadmap for industrial upgrading. Among them, the 'Textile Intangible Heritage Standards and Certification Cooperation,' signed by the CNTAC Heritage Office and Zhonglian Pinde Dongguan, means heritage products will have unified industry standards. This is crucial for exporters—previously, heritage products often faced barriers due to inconsistent standards, and a unified certification system could open international market channels.
More noteworthy is the 'Strategic Cooperation on Textile Heritage and Knitting Product Innovation,' involving the Dalang government, local companies like Yinxiang Grassland, designer Wang Dong, and heritage inheritor Wan Gongxue. This 'government+company+designer+inheritor' model directly converts heritage patterns (such as Wan's patented Qilin pattern) into commercially viable fashion items. Textile Circle believes that once this model proves successful, it can be replicated in other industrial clusters.
Additionally, the signing of the 'Dalang Knitting Industry Quality Service System Co-building Strategic Agreement' and 'Brand Supply-Demand Service Cooperation' indicates that Dalang is simultaneously improving manufacturing quality and connecting with brand channels. The entry of Jiangyin Hengxiang Weaving into the Guanshang Smart Manufacturing Center also reflects cross-regional supply chain coordination.
The Heritage Fashion Show: A Commercialization Experiment
The 'Heritage Coexistence, Weaving the Future' fashion show on the opening day was not a simple runway event. Divided into three chapters—'Unicorn Awakening,' 'Unicorn Walking,' and 'Unicorn Shining'—all garments were made by local companies, using Lingnan heritage Qilin patterns as the core design element. This 'Dalang design, Dalang manufacturing, Dalang presentation' approach essentially transforms heritage from museum exhibits into mass-producible goods.
Textile Circle observes that this transformation path has clear commercial logic: designer Wang Dong emerged from the Dalang Knitting Design Competition, with market-validated skills; companies like Yinxiang Grassland already have technical expertise in plant dyeing and combining cashmere with Song brocade. Heritage elements are not mere labels but are integrated with existing manufacturing capabilities to create differentiated products.
Practical Impact for Buyers and Exporters
For Buyers - Focus on Dalang companies' 'heritage+knitting' product lines, which often feature patented patterns and certification labels, effectively reducing counterfeiting risks. - Require suppliers to provide heritage certification or compliance documents when placing orders, ensuring products can command a cultural premium in international markets. - Prioritize companies that have participated in heritage collaboration projects (e.g., Yinxiang Grassland, Tongfa, Xinhongfeng, Lanmei), as they demonstrate stronger process stability and design iteration capabilities.
For Exporters - Use heritage elements as a differentiation selling point, promoting 'sustainable cultural fashion' concepts in European and American markets to increase unit prices. - Liaise with the CNTAC Heritage Office or Dalang authorities to obtain the latest heritage standard certification information, avoiding returns due to non-compliance. - Leverage the synergistic effect of the three concurrent events (trade fair, cultural summit, tourism experience) to invite overseas clients for on-site factory and showroom visits, building trust.
Since its inception in 2017, the Textile Intangible Heritage Conference has traveled through Zhejiang, Beijing, Yunnan, and other regions. Its landing in Dalang this time is fundamentally driven by the town's industrial base. With an annual output of 900 million sweaters and the empowerment of heritage culture, Dalang is exploring a transformation path from 'world factory' to 'cultural brand exporter.' For textile industry professionals, this is not just about cultural confidence—it is a measurable economic opportunity.