HANGZHOU, March 19 (Xinhua) -- On the eastern coast of China, a small town has long been famous for one thing: honey tangerines. But today, Yongquan Township, with fewer than 50,000 permanent residents, tells a different story of economic transformation.
Under the administration of the county-level city of Linhai of Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, Yongquan now produces over 40 percent of China's cheongsams (also known as qipao), with an annual output of 16 million pieces and an industrial output value exceeding 1.5 billion yuan (217.5 million U.S. dollars).
Yongquan's move into textiles marks a revival of a deep-rooted tradition, rather than a shift to a new industry. Embroidery has flourished here since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with many women skilled in needlework. In the 1980s, the town was home to over a dozen embroidery garment factories, making it a pillar of the local economy. In the early 1990s, local artisans began using brocade and satin to make cheongsams.
The modern chapter of the town began around 2012 with the rise of the "Guochao trend" (which means traditional Chinese trend), prompting local workshops and factories to pivot toward cheongsam production. The explosive growth of China's e-commerce sector in 2013 then served as a powerful catalyst. Today, the town boasts over 80 cheongsam enterprises and more than 800 upstream and downstream supporting businesses.
Wang Tao, born in 1963, was among the first wave of Yongquan natives to venture out and sell cheongsams. At 30, he resigned from his job as a math teacher, borrowed 8,000 yuan, and established a silk garment factory in his hometown.
At that time, Wang rode his bicycle to promote cheongsams from store to store in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province. "Our cheongsams were shipped from Yongquan to Hangzhou, where they were sold across the country," he recalled. "That was the typical business model for countless Yongquan people in those days."
However, for a long time, Yongquan's cheongsams were not well known.
Feng Yanjun, president of the Linhai Cheongsam Association, explained that the largest cheongsam wholesale market in China is in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. And in Suzhou's cheongsam market, over 60 percent of the shop owners are from Yongquan Township.
In fact, people from Yongquan control about 50 percent of the national cheongsam wholesale channels. The irony was stark: consumers knew Suzhou, but the true birthplace of the qipao, Yongquan, remained invisible, according to Feng.
"Our roots are here," said a master qipao producer with 30 years' experience. "Why shouldn't the world know that great cheongsams come from Yongquan?"
The turning point came in 2024 when the Linhai Cheongsam Association was established, uniting 60 core enterprises. In 2025, Yongquan's embroidered cheongsam craftsmanship was officially inscribed on Taizhou City's list of intangible cultural heritage.
Then, a cheongsam-themed mall opened in January of this year. The 18,000-square-meter complex integrates production, sales, live-streaming e-commerce and storage into a single, seamless operation. For the cheongsam merchants now based in their hometown, the days of shuttling between Suzhou and Yongquan are over.
"Now we negotiate business right at our doorstep. The moment goods are ready, they can be shipped outside," said Yin Yuying, a merchant at the mall. "With lower logistics costs, our clients' purchasing prices can drop by 5 to 10 percent. It's a win-win."
In Yongquan Township, the past and future are being sewn together. Yin Xiaobo, a post-1980s generation craftsman, represents the fourth generation of his family in the cheongsam trade. His mother, Feng Yifeng, is a renowned local artisan who started in the qipao industry at 16 and is a master of traditional embroidery and cheongsam tailoring. The mother and son now embody two sides of one coin: one preserving tradition and the other driving innovation.
Feng Yifeng patiently teaches young embroiderers age-old techniques. Her son, meanwhile, adapts these core elements for modern tastes. He lowers the mandarin collar, replaces elaborate rows of knots with hidden zippers, swaps heavy satin brocade for cotton-linen, chiffon and lace, and shortens the length of the traditional qipao.
"The new Chinese style today is about removing complexity, making it simple and elegant, and easy to wear," Yin Xiaobo said. "We've adapted it into everyday fashion, something closer to casual wear." He has even embroidered motifs of the local landscapes and Yongquan's famous tangerines onto his cheongsams. These modern iterations have attracted many teenagers and young women, becoming the primary consumers rather than middle-aged.
The industry has become a significant source of local prosperity. Roughly half of the town's residents are now engaged in cheongsam-related business. Women in rural villages earn thousands of yuan a month, making exquisite knot buttons or sewing in their home workshops. Former tangerine farmers have transformed into factory workers and e-commerce livestreamers.
The e-commerce and logistics systems give cheongsam shipments a cost advantage of one to two yuan per item compared to Suzhou or Hangzhou. Local initiatives are nurturing e-commerce livestreaming teams, while the new cheongsam shopping mall is building cross-border e-commerce links to help the cheongsam go global.
The youngest generation is already coming into its own. Weng Huifeng, born after the year 2000, has moved his livestreaming studio directly into the factory plant, bringing Yongquan cheongsams to young consumers across China via their smartphones.
With a new cheongsam industrial park under construction, Yongquan has set its sights on an ambitious goal: becoming the premier sourcing market for cheongsams and leading the industry's nationwide development. ■
