It would be unimaginable to live in a world where textiles are non-existent. We dress up and decorate our surroundings with fabrics. Around 83% of the globally produced textiles come from China. The largest production area of fabrics in China is Keqiao. A quarter of global textile production is sold there on the wholesale market. When choosing a Chinese textile manufacturer, it is worth going to such a market to get to know the products and then pay a visit to the factory of the company you are interested in. 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 on the same day as the most important Chinese holidays, which usually don’t fall on the same date every year.
About Keqiao
Keqiao is a district under 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 gathering place for textile companies and a global textile distribution center. Every year, USD 9 billion worth of fabrics are exported from here to every corner of the world.
China Textile City, founded in the 1980s, currently covers over 3.65 million square meters with over 22,000 textile enterprises and over 5,000 textile trading companies. Approximately 100,000 buyers make purchases here daily. China Textile City has a market turnover of over RMB 100 billion. This place has a wide range of goods, not only fiber, yarn and fabric, home textiles, and clothing, but it also offers technical fabrics and much more.
Location Jianhu No. 3, Keqiao, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China
Below are some of the zones in China Textile City.
- The northern part consists of 6 areas, each of them extending on 5-7 streets. You can buy various types of materials such as cotton, canvas, satin, lace, corduroy, and the like.
- Tianhui Square: blackout materials, window screens, embroidery, and more.
- Eastern area: sheets, cotton, leather, knitwear, and many more.
- Dongsheng Road: a specialized knitting market.
- Western area: denim.
Textile trade fairs in Keqiao
Twice a year, trade shows 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 over 50,000 participants. Keqiao Textile Expo is the only professional trade fair that for 20 years has been presenting weaving, knitting and printing machines at the distribution center. In booths set up by nearly 700 exhibitors, participants can get familiar with products such as digital printing software, dyes, and textile chemicals, sewing machines, and many more.
China (Keqiao) International Textiles, Fabrics & Accessories Exhibition is the concurrent event at the Keqiao Textile Expo in the spring. It is the only highly specialized Chinese trade fair taking place at the place of origin of textiles and the center of the distribution. For 13 years, the fair has been creating a trading platform for textile companies, dealers, and people associated with the industry.
Location: China Light & Textile City International Conference and Exhibition Center New Venue, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China
Website: ktpieshow.com/en
Region of textile production in China. A Guide
How to get to Keqiao?
1. By plane
The fastest way to get to Shaoxing is to go by plane. To get to Keqiao, change from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport by bus or taxi. The journey takes an hour to one and a half an hour. Buses to Keqiao leave from 8:10 AM to 9:20 PM, and the fare is 20 RMB.
2. By coach/bus
It is easy to get to Keqiao by bus. Almost every city in Zhejiang will have a connection to Shaoxing and getting from downtown Shaoxing to Keqiao takes about half an hour.
3. By train
The train is a convenient means of transport. For example, the journey from Shanghai to Shaoxing takes up to three hours, and the ticket costs from 40 to 280 RMB. The fastest train from Hangzhou arrives in Shaoxing in 19 minutes; it costs 15-24 RMB. The journey from Ningbo takes from half an hour to one and a half an hour; ticket prices range from 50 to 160 RMB. You can get to Keqiao by taxi or bus.
How to get around Keqiao?
Chances are slim that you would find an English-speaking taxi driver, so you should write down your destination address in Chinese characters. Tariffs start at 10 RMB for the first 3 km, then it is 2.4 RMB for each kilometer.
There are over 70 bus lines in Shaoxing. The cost of a bus ticket is a minimum of 1 RMB.
US duty for textile
The import of 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 tapestry fabric (5111.20.05) is 7%, on a type of satin or twill weave fabric (5208.29.20) 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%.
Because of the ongoing US-China trade war, some goods imported from China to the US are subject to an additional tariff. To some of the articles such as textiles, threads, and goods alike applies 25% of an additional duty. The additional tariff covers all textile products starting from December 15, 2019.
Check out our other posts about production areas in China.