For every ten fabric products sold in China, eight come from a single village—Xiaobu Village in Shenze County, Shijiazhuang. With just over 700 households, this village houses over 430 registered fabric enterprises and generated more than 700 million yuan in e-commerce sales in 2025, reshaping the traditional home textile industry landscape.
From Processing Base to Brand Cluster
Xiaobu's fabric industry didn't emerge overnight. Even before being recognized as a national 'one village, one product' demonstration village, it was known for processing orders from Yiwu market. Today, most fabric dealers in Yiwu source directly from Xiaobu, and many Yiwu factories have outsourced production to the village. This 'South Yiwu, North Xiaobu' division has transformed Xiaobu from a mere processing base into an industrial hub integrating design, production, and sales.
The 9th Xiaobu Fabric Exhibition, which opened on July 26, showcased this transformation. Held at the 40,000-square-meter Hongbai Home Textile Market, the event gathered over 170 factory direct-sale stores. Unlike previous editions that focused on finished products, this year's exhibition introduced over 1,000 new products across more than 20 categories, including sofa cushions, bedding sets, throw pillows, tablecloths, aprons, door curtains, and covers for pianos, air conditioners, and televisions. For the first time, auxiliary fabrics such as embroidered yarn, embroidered fabric, and water-soluble lace were also featured, indicating Xiaobu's upstream expansion to build a more complete supply chain.
Branding and Digitalization Drive Growth
The most visible sign of Xiaobu's upgrade is the awakening of brand awareness. At the exhibition, Shijiazhuang Milai Home Furnishing Co., Ltd. saw a steady stream of buyers. Chairman He Jianqing said the company launched over 100 new throw pillow designs alone, with brands like Jilida, Laiboni, and Landi building strong customer recognition. A buyer from Henan noted that 'Milai's brand is strong, and customers love it—it sells well at wholesale.'
Behind branding lies digitalization. In 2025, Xiaobu's fabric sales from e-commerce and live-streaming exceeded 700 million yuan. For a village of fewer than 1,000 households, this translates to nearly one million yuan per household in online sales. Live-streaming has broken geographic barriers, allowing Xiaobu to reach end consumers directly, reducing intermediaries and boosting margins.
Notably, the Baizhuang Township, where Xiaobu is located, has over 1,000 fabric processing merchants. These businesses have thrived through cost control and new product development. On the first day of the exhibition, buyers from Liaoning, Tianjin, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, and Jiangsu-Zhejiang regions flooded the Hongbai market. Brands like Dongzhisheng, Boyuanli Home Textiles, Yonghe Fabric, and Bolaizhi Apron all reported on-the-spot orders.
Policy and Market Resonance: Export Path Emerging
On the opening day, officials from Hebei Province and Shijiazhuang's industry and information technology departments, along with the Shijiazhuang Textile Industry Association, visited the Hongbai market. Together with local officials, they discussed strategies to deepen domestic markets and explore overseas opportunities. The consensus was to focus on market expansion, brand cultivation, and channel building to further strengthen Xiaobu's fabric brand.
This signals that Xiaobu's next strategic priority is overseas markets. With over 80% domestic market share, growth potential at home is limited. Overseas markets, especially along the Belt and Road and in emerging economies, have strong demand for cost-effective home textiles. If Xiaobu can adapt its successful live-streaming model for cross-border e-commerce platforms, it could replicate its domestic success abroad.
However, exporting poses challenges. Overseas markets have different product standards, environmental certifications, and brand expectations. Xiaobu must adapt to these rules and strengthen original design to avoid IP disputes.
Industrial Insights: The Logic of a Small Village's Big Market
Xiaobu's story offers lessons for other textile clusters. First, cluster formation relies on core markets—Xiaobu started with Yiwu orders, building production capacity and channels. Second, transitioning from OEM to branding is essential for value addition, as Xiaobu has done through exhibitions and brand building. Third, digital marketing is a key tool for traditional industries to leapfrog—the 700 million yuan in e-commerce sales shows that live-streaming still has room to grow in home textiles.