Xingcheng, a county-level city in Huludao of Liaoning province, is bolstering its complete swimwear industrial chain to support regional economic growth.
Swimsuits have been made in Xingcheng since the 1980s. At that time, hand-powered sewing machines were used to make swimsuits and the majority of sales were made on the street.
Through more than 30 years of development, the small coastal city has grown into one of the largest swimsuit production hubs in China. About 25 percent of all swimsuits in the world are made in Xingcheng.
As of the end of 2019, the city was home to more than 1,100 swimwear manufacturers, reporting 14.1 billion yuan ($2.08 billion) in annual sales revenue. Of them, 30 have annual sales revenue of above 20 million yuan and can produce 220 million swimsuits annually. The 30 major manufacturers employ 60,000 people in Xingcheng, according to the local government.
Swimsuits from Xingcheng are sold in more than 140 countries and regions including the United States, South Korea and Russia. The city's annual export value of swimsuits was more than $400 million in 2019.
In recent years, enterprises in the city have been taking measures to expand the industrial chain to strengthen competitiveness and increase profit.
Super Stava Group, one of the major swimsuits manufacturers in Xingcheng, invested 600 million yuan in building an industrial park to gather smaller swimsuit producers. The industrial park combines swimsuit design, production, warehousing, marketing and talent cultivation all in one location, according to the local government.
In 2019, the annual production capacity of the industrial park was 20 million swimsuits, with an industrial output value of 500 million yuan.
Swimwear brand Ouyi, developed by Super Stava Group, has been recognized as a famous brand of Liaoning province, due to its popularity in China and sales reaching into the US, France, Italy and Russia.
Aiming to support the upgrade and transformation of the swimwear industry, the Xingcheng government is providing policy, financial, scientific and project support to companies.
Super Stava's industrial park has been recognized by the government as a provincial-level pilot area for e-commerce, business environment improvement, startup incubation and supply chain financing.
Xingcheng will embrace the industrial internet and 5G technologies to help improve efficiencies in the swimwear industry, local officials said.
Employees make swimwear at a factory in Xingcheng, Liaoning province. CHINA DAILY
About 25 percent of all swimsuits in the world are made in Xingcheng. CHINA DAILY
