It would be unimaginable to live in a world where textiles do not exist. We dress and decorate our surroundings with fabrics. About 83% of the textiles produced globally come from China. The largest textile production area in China is located in Keqiao. A quarter of the world’s textile production is sold there on the wholesale market. When choosing a Chinese textile manufacturer, it is worth going to that market to learn about the products and then pay a visit to the factory of the company that interests you. These types of visits can be combined with participation in trade shows. , where you can also compare offers. Remember to choose the date of your visit wisely, it should not be the same day as the major Chinese holidays, which usually do not fall on the same date every year.
About Keqiao, a textile production area in China
Keqiao is a district of Shaoxing, a prefectural city in Zhejiang province. It is located in the “South Golden Wing” of the Yangtze River Delta, which is a densely populated area characterized by the fastest development and the strongest purchasing power in China.
Keqiao – textile production region in China
Located on the New Silk Road, Keqiao is China’s largest meeting place for textile companies and a global textile distribution center. Every year, $ 9 billion worth of fabrics are exported from here to every corner of the world.
China Textile City, founded in the 1980s, currently covers more than 3.65 million square meters with more than 22,000 textile companies and more than 5,000 textile trading companies. About 100,000 shoppers shop here every day. China Textile City has a market turnover of more than 100 billion RMB. This place has a wide range of products, not only fiber, yarns and fabrics, home textiles and clothing, it also offers technical fabrics and much more.
Location Jianhu No. 3, Keqiao, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China
Below are some of the areas of China Textile City.
The northern part consists of 6 areas, each of which spans 5-7 streets. You can buy various types of materials such as cotton, canvas, satin, lace, corduroy, and the like.
Tianhui Square: opaque materials, mosquito nets, embroidery and more.
East zone: sheets, cottons, leathers, knitwear and many more.
Dongsheng Road: a specialized weaving market.
West zone: denim.
Textile trade shows in Keqiao
Twice a year trade fairs related to textiles, their production and processing are held in Keqiao.
China Shaoxing Keqiao International Textile Expo, or Keqiao Textile Expo, is one of the most important textile fairs in China. The fair takes place in an area of 34,000 square meters and attracts more than 50,000 participants. Keqiao Textile Expo is the only trade fair that for 20 years presents weaving, weaving and printing machines in the distribution center. At the stands set up by nearly 700 exhibitors, participants can familiarize themselves with products such as digital printing software, textile dyes and chemicals, sewing machines and many more.
The China International Textiles, Fabrics and Accessories Expo (Keqiao) is the concurrent event to the Keqiao Textile Expo in spring. It is the only highly specialized Chinese trade fair that takes place at the textile origin place and distribution center. For 13 years, the fair has been creating a commercial platform for textile companies, distributors and people associated with the industry.
Location: New Headquarters of China Light & Textile City International Conference and Exhibition Center, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China
Textile production region in China. A guide
How to get to Keqiao?
1. By plane
The fastest way to get to Shaoxing is by plane. To get to Keqiao, change from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport by bus or taxi. The trip lasts from an hour to an hour and a half. Buses to Keqiao leave at 8:10 a.m. at 9:20 p.m., the fee is 20 RMB.
2. By coach / bus
Keqiao is easy to get to by bus. Almost every city in Zhejiang will have a connection to Shaoxing and getting from Shaoxing center to Keqiao takes about half an hour.
3. By train
The train is a convenient means of transportation. For example, the trip from Shanghai to Shaoxing takes up to three hours and the ticket costs between 40 and 280 RMB. Hangzhou’s fastest train reaches Shaoxing in 19 minutes; It costs 15-24 RMB. The trip from Ningbo takes from half an hour to an hour and a half; Ticket prices range from RMB 50-160. You can get to Keqiao by taxi or bus.
How to get around Keqiao?
There is little chance that you will find an English speaking taxi driver, so you have to write your destination address in Chinese characters. Rates start at RMB 10 for the first 3 km, then are RMB 2.4 for each kilometer.
There are more than 70 bus lines in Shaoxing. The cost of a bus ticket is a minimum of 1 RMB.
US textile tariff
Importing goods from China requires payment of the duty. When importing textiles, the rates are up to several percent. For example, the duty on a certain type of upholstery fabric (5111.20.05) is 7%, on a type of satin or twill fabric (5208.29.20) it is 7.7%. The duty on a thread is usually around 4%, for example, on a type of cotton sewing thread (5204.11.00), the duty is 4.4%.
Due to the ongoing trade war between the United States and China, some goods imported from China to the United States are subject to an additional duty. Some of the articles such as textiles, threads and merchandise alike apply 25% of an additional duty. The additional duty covers all textile products as of December 15, 2019.
If you are interested in other production regions besides the children’s clothing production area in China, please see our posts on this topic.