1. 1
Joanne Pan
GES435
Dr. Bennett
May 4, 2016
Textiles in East Asia: China and Taiwan
Taiwanand Chinahave beeninstrumental inproducingtextiles, butTaiwanispoisedtotake
overChina’sspotwithitssustainable and eco-friendlyfabrics,while Chinahasfacedstagnationuntil
2010, whenthe industrymade more thanexpected.However,three of the majordifferencesbetween
the two manufacturersare the use of sustainable materials,itshistorywithtextilesandcommercial
production.InTaiwan,the commercial productionof textilesdidn’tstartuntil the 1950s, while inChina,
it didn’tstartuntil the late 1980s and early1990s withDengXiaoPing’smarketpolicies.InTaiwan,
they’ve startedusingmaterialstheycanfindanywhere,especiallyrecycledplastic,while Chinadoesn’t
use recycledmaterialsforitsfabrics,andfinally,China’shistoryof creatingfabricsismuchlongerthan
that of any othercountry.
AfterJapanese colonizationof Taiwanendedinthe 1950s, there were few factoriesorverylittle
indicationof any industrymovingin.However,afteritseconomicdevelopmentfromthe 1960s to the
1980s, researcherLee-InChenChiu atthe Chung-HugInstitutionforEconomicResearchfoundthatthe
industrywasdividedintosix parts,andcurrently,Taiwan’stextileindustryisinthe “Transformation,
outwardinvestmentandinnovationstage”,whichstartedin1992 and iscontinuingtoday. A report
done byEd Zacapa fromTaiwanToday, a Taiwan-basednewsmedia,foundthat
…in late May five textile andapparel centerscommencedoperationsaroundTaiwan.Initiated
by the Ministryof EconomicAffairs,the centersare targetingdifferentsegmentsof the industry

2. 2
for cultivation,turningouthigh-demandproductsthatcapitalizeonthe nation’sculture of
innovationandcreativity.Inaddition,theyfunctionasR& D hubsand incubatorsforassociated
industriesthatwill addfurthervalue toTaiwan’stextile andgarmentexports(Zacapa,Ed.2011).
As an islandcountry, Taiwanhaslittle space tomove out, sotextile manufacturerssuchas
Singtex andSuperTextilehave foundwaysto create eco-friendlyandsustainable methodsof using
plasticbottlesandcoffee groundstocreate theirfabrics,whichhasgrownindemand. Anotherreason
whyTaiwan’stextileindustryhasgrownsorapidlywasbecause of its“investmentfriendlytaxationand
environment”accordingtoChen.The researcherfoundthatin1958 and 1959, “twocritical reform
packages”were instrumentalinpromoting foreigndirectinvestment(Chen,2007).AlthoughTaiwanis
nowknownfor itselectronics,especiallyasa manufacturerof semiconductors,textilesare still alarge
part of theireconomy.
In the 2010 FIFA WorldCup, the fabricproducedinTaiwanwas used forthe jerseysfornine
national teams.A reportdone bythe Taiwanese governmententitled“InvestmentOpportunitiesinthe
Textile IndustryinTaiwan”foundthat“ourgovernmentstrivedtoimprove lawsandregulationsto
expeditethe researchanddevelopmentcapabilityof Taiwan’stextileindustry”(“Investment
Opportunitiesinthe Textile IndustryinTaiwan.”N.d.Web.4 May 2016). Currently,more andmore
companiesare researchingwaystomake theirfabrictrulyeco-friendlyandsustainable,andisbeing
fundedbythe governmentaswell.UnderPresidentMaYing-Jeou’sadministration,the governments
“focuseson‘carbon andenergyreduction’and‘eco-friendlymanufacturingprocess’”(“Investment
Opportunitiesinthe Textile Industryin Taiwan.”N.d.Web. 4 May 2016), and Taiwanese company
EverrichGroup iscollaboratingwithinternational designerstocreate material suitable forall climates
and locations,usingonlysustainable materials.

3. 3
However,whileChinastillproducesapparelratherthantextiles, itsreignasthe “manufacturing
floorof the world”isslowlybeingovertakenbyothercountries,especiallyinSoutheastAsiaincountries
like BangladeshorVietnam.Despite theseproblems,Chinaisstill one of the topproducersof apparel
today.
Chinahas a 5700 year longhistoryof fabricsandtextile technology.Accordingtolegend,
EmpressLei Zu inventedthe textile technology,andoverits5000 year-longhistory, hasevolvedto
include “primitive reelingmachines,spinningwheelsandlooms”(“Textile TechnologyExperiencedGreat
Development.19December2012. Web.4 May 2016). Afterthe creationof Chinaas a republic,ithas
focusedmore onmanufacturingclothesratherthanproducingthe fabric. A reportdone by the China
EnergyGroup: EnergyAnalysis&Environmental ImpactsDivisionfoundthat
Chinaisthe world’stoptextileexporterwith40% of worldtextile andclothingexports.The
textile andclothingindustryisthe largestmanufacturingindustryinChinawithabout24,000
enterprises.Chinaisthe largestclothingproducerinthe worldandhas the largestproduction
capacityfor textile productsconsistingof cotton,manmade fibersandsilk.(ChinaEnergyGroup,
n.d.)
Historically, Chineseclothingisone of the earliestformsof creating, usinganddevelopingfabric.
Accordingto Cultural China,the “earliesttextileproduct…isthe scrapsof kohempclothexcavatedatthe
site of the Caoxie (StrawSandal) Hill,WuxianCounty,Jiansuprovince”(Cultural China,n.d.Web.4May
2016), withwomendoingmuchof the work.Out of all of China’sdynasties,the Hanclothingisone of
the most well-known,asthe material andtype of dressalsosignifiedthe difference inclassandgender,
and historically,Chinese silkswerehighlyregarded.Forexample,Cultural Chinareportsthat“Silkfabrics
knownas ‘jin’representsthe topindustrialarts”(Cultural China,n.d.),andartisansskilledinthe creating
the fabricswere highlyregarded,andcommandedafortune alongthe SilkRoad.In2010, its industry

4. 4
increased75.72 percentage pointsfrom2005, and amountedtoabout$206.5 billion,(“Textile
TechnologyExperiencedGreatDevelopment,”2012) accordingto madeinchina.com, anonline retailer
that billsitself as“ConnectingBuyerswithChinese Suppliers”.
Unlike Taiwan,whichshiftedfromthe spindle tomachine weavinginthe 1950s, traditional
textile machinesinChinahadalreadybeeninventedandbeeninuse forover2000 years.For example,
duringthe late Songdynasty(960-1279) and earlyYuandynasty(1206-1368) cotton weaverHuang
Daopo inventedthe ginningmachine forremovingcottonseeds,the machinetofluff upthe cottonand
turn itintoa usable formforthe pedal spinningwheel tocreate spindlesof thread,andcreated
patternedcottoncloth, thousandsof yearsbefore the Westinventedthesemachines.Asaresult,
AlthoughChina’ssuccessinthe internationalmarkethasbeenseenasamiracle,ithas alsopaid
a heavyprice for it.Because factoriesandportsare locatednearwater,the watersystemsnearbyare
oftenhighlypollutedandcancause medical problems.

5. 5
Today,Chinamanufacturesmuchof the world’sclothing,butits textileindustryisstillhighly
regarded.Environmental issuesandworkertreatmentissueshave beenbroughtup,butnotmuchhas
beendealtwithbythe government,especiallysince theirexplosivegrowthsince the 1990s. China’s
governmenthasacknowledgedthe factthatthere are environmental issuesplaguingthe country,
especiallysince they’vehadexplosive growthsince the 1990s Cleanclothes.org,anorganizationthatbills
itself as“ImprovingWorkingConditionsinthe Global GarmentIndustry”,foundthatthere are six major
problemsinthe industryrightnow.Problemsincludethe “Absence of freedomof association,and
collective bargaining”,“The Hukousystem”,“excessiveovertime”,“paymentbasedonpiece ratesis
problematic”,“Chinaisnotpartyto the International CovenantonCivil andPolitical Rights(ICCPR)”,and
“Chinais partyto International CovenantonEconomic,Social andCultural rights(ICESCR) buthasa
reservationonarticle 8ICESCR (rightto formtrade Unions),andfurthermore hasnotratifiedthe
optional protocol toICESCR”(Kane,Gillian.“FactsonChina’sGarmentIndustry.”CleanClothes
Campaign,n.d.Web.4 May 2016).
Both Taiwanand Chinaare major exportersof textiles,butTaiwanhasgovernmentsupporton
creatingmaterial thatissustainable,eco-friendlyandhasa goodsystemforitsworkerswhile China’s
governmentdoesn’tallow itsworkersmuchfreedomandisnot focusedonsustainable oreco-friendly
fabrics.Chinaneedstofocuson makingitstextile plantsmore eco-friendlyandsustainable,asitsgrowth
has causedhighlevelsof pollutionwithinthe country,andwatchhow Taiwangrows itstextile industry-
throughgovernmentsupportandfindingwaysthatappeal toconsumers.

6. 6
Bibliography
Chiu,Lee-InChen.“The Policy,InstitutionandMarketFactorsin the Developmentof Taiwan’s
Textile/GarmentIndustry.”Chung-HuaInstitutionforEconomicResearch.N.d. Web. 4May 2016.
EverrichGroup.“Taiwan TaoyuanInternational Airport-B8Textile ArtWaitingLounge.”Onlinevideoclip.
Youtube. Youtube,n.d.Web.4May 2016.
FormosaEnglishNews.“TaiwanTextilesIndustryPlaysaStarringRole atWorld Cup.”Online videoclip.
Youtube. Youtube,n.d.Web.4May 2016.
“InvestmentOpportunitiesinthe TextileIndustryinTaiwan.”N.d.Web.4May 2016.
Kane,Gillian.“FactsonChina’sGarmentIndustry.”CleanClothesCampaign,n.d.Web.4May 2016).
“Textiles.”ChinaEnergyGroup.N.d.Web.4 May 2016.
“Textile TechnologyExperiencedGreatDevelopment. Made-in-China.com,Made-In-China. 19December
2012. Web.4 May 2016.
“The Pastand Presentof NanjingCloud-PatternedBrocade.”Cultural China:Traditions.N.d.Web.4May
2016.
“WunijingCottonTextile WeavingTechniques.” CulturalChina:Traditions. Cultural China.N.d.Web.4
May 2016.
Zacapa, Ed. “Taiwan’sTextileIndustryWeaves aBrightFuture.”TaiwanToday.TaiwanToday,15 July
2011. Web.4 May 2016.