Langsey Company's Li Zhang is your insider guide to China. Here, she tackles the geography of China's huge manufacturing base.
China is well-known for its manufacturing industry, with massive amounts of textile and apparel factories operating around the country.
As a fashion designer or brand owner, it can help to have a basic understanding of the geographical distribution of these factories. How so?
Well, have you ever been searching for suppliers on Alibaba and felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice? It’s easy to get lost on the Alibaba website – but having some knowledge about where each factory is located can save you a lot of time!
Understanding the Geographical Distribution of China’s Factories
This is because in China, there are certain geographical regions that are associated with certain products. And it can be a good idea to use suppliers from the regions well-known for those products.
For example, when you look at a factory’s information, if it is a silk fabric factory and its location is in the area that is famous for silk products, then you may have more confidence in this supplier. Of course, each factory will have its own individual quality and features to assess, but this geographical knowledge can really help to point you in the right direction.
Here, I’ve prepared a list of the most well-known manufacturing regions in China, for you to use when searching for the right supplier.
When you look at the list below, please keep in mind that this list is for your reference only, and not official information. A silk factory located in a silk fabric town may not necessarily be the best, while at the same time there are likely to be many good silk factories located in other places not in the list! Remember, this is a guide only.
How Certain Regions Become Famous for Specific Products
But first, you might be wondering how these geographical regions become so well-known for certain products?
The establishment of a famous place in a specific category normally has a long history. For example, many years ago a mall silk fabric factory happened to be set up in a small town named Shengze (Jiangsu Province). After a couple of years, local people saw the factory’s success, so they set up another similar one. Soon, another person set up a silk garment cutting and sewing factory, as they had so many silk fabric made locally. Over time, more and more silk industry experienced workers also appeared in that town.
Within two decades, this town became well-known and famous for its high-quality silk products, with hundreds of factories in the upstream and downstream of the whole silk industry.
Take Yanbu town of Guangdong Province as another example. The first underwear factory in Yanbu was established in 1979, and now there are more than 100 underwear factories, with 16,000 workers in the small township.
A Manufacturer Distribution Map of China
Okay, now for the list showing the geographical distribution of China’s factories.
In the list below, you will generally find that a place which is famous for a specific category normally has more than ten factories manufacturing products of this same category. Considering the places are normally small towns, this is very high density.
You might also be wondering why all the places mentioned are townships rather than cities? This is because most of the textile and apparel factories in China are located in countryside areas, with its advantages of low rent and labour costs.
And why are most of the places in Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces? These three provinces are where 99% of the textile and apparel factories are located in China. Guangdong Province has the strength of large production capacity and fast response, while the manufacturers of Zhengjiang and Jiangsu Provinces normally have better reliability, premium quality and skilled workforce.
Here at Langsey, we hope this list helps you save time sourcing the right supplier for you and gives you a clearer idea of Chinese manufacturing.
Underwear
Yanbu Town, Foshan City, Guangdong Province
Dali Town, Foshan City, Guangdong Province
Xiaolan Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province
Chendian Town, Shantou City, Guangdong Province
Shenhu Town, Jinjiang City, Fujian Province
Socks
Datang Town, Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province
Woolen Knitwear
Dalang Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province
Honghe Town, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province
Puyuan Town, Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province
Bixi Town, Changshu City, Jiangsu Province
Hengshan Town, Wujiang City, Jiangsu Province
Cotton Knitwear
Lanting Town, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
Lizhu Town, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
Hengcun Town, Tonglu City, Zhejiang Province
Down Clothing
Guli Town, Changshu City, Jiangsu Province
Home Textiles
Qiantan Town, Jiande City, Zhejiang Province
Huangtang Town, Danyang City, Jiangsu Province
Daoshu Town, Danyang City, Jiangsu Province
Chuanjiang Town, Tongzhou City, Jiangsu Province
Jiangzao Town, Tongzhou City, Jiangsu Province
Linen Fabric
Xizhu Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province
Silk Fabric
Shengze Town, Wujiang City, Jiangsu Province
Spandex Fabric
Jiangang Town, Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province
Denim Fabric
Huangqiao Town, Taixing City, Jiangsu Province
Synthetic Fabric
Yaqian Town, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Ma’an Town, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
Zhouquan Town, Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province
Dangshan Town, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Xinjian Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province
Zhouzhuang Town, Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province
Laces
Songxia Town, Changle City, Fujian Province