SHIJIAZHUANG, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Despite being devoid of natural grasslands or sheep farms, Qinghe County in north China's Hebei Province has transformed into a major hub for cashmere raw materials.
It processes 8,000 tonnes of cashmere and 50,000 tonnes of wool annually, accounting for 60 percent and 90 percent of China's total, respectively, and generated an annual revenue of 47 billion yuan (about 6.85 billion U.S.
dollars) in 2024.
The industry began in 1978 with a farmer named Dai Zilu.
He modified a cotton carding machine and combed over 1 tonne of cashmere from 4 tonnes of waste material, selling it for 50,000 yuan -- a fortune at a time when 10,000 yuan already qualified someone as wealthy.
"Locals traveled far to pastoral areas for raw materials, carrying samples to textile mills across the country.
Through hard work and integrity, Qinghe cashmere gradually gained a foothold," recalled Zheng Chunyu, director of Qinghe's cashmere industry service center.
Within just over a decade, the county became a nationally renowned hub for cashmere distribution.
Today, Qinghe boasts a complete industrial chain, from purchasing raw cashmere to combing, spinning, dyeing, and weaving for garment making and brand sales.
The county is home to more than 1,700 cashmere-related businesses, employing over 100,000 people.
After achieving full-chain coordination, Qinghe ramped up R&D spending to advance smart manufacturing.
At a shared factory, using intelligent knitting machines and whole-garment technology, a stylish cashmere sweater can be produced in just over 40 minutes.
This technology removes the need for seaming, boosting efficiency by 46 percent, cutting costs by 15 percent, and giving the sweater a cleaner look.
As e-commerce thrives, small and medium-sized cashmere businesses in Qinghe face a challenge: their limited scale leaves them unable to afford advanced equipment or seize large, short-term orders during peak seasons.
The county realized that innovation was key to unlocking....
