'Town of wedding dresses' in E China's Anhui intensifies efforts to tap into 'sweet industry'

Dingji township in Lu'an city, east China's Anhui Province, one of the largest wedding dress manufacturing and sales hubs in China, is ramping up efforts to further boost its burgeoning wedding dress industry.

The mountain township is home to more than 400 wedding dress producing companies, over 100 wedding dress accessory manufacturers, and over 600 online shops selling wedding dresses.

More than 15,000 people are employed in the wedding dress industry of Dingji township, which boasts of an annual output of 2.4 billion yuan ($350 million) and exports worth 100 million yuan.

Computerized embroidery machines run in a wedding dress factory in Dingji township, Yu'an district, Lu'an city, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Ma Shurui)

"We have established a one-stop supply chain covering such links as original design, machine embroidery, finished products sewing, and customized processing," said Xu Changying, an executive of a wedding dress factory in Dingji township.

In 2022, the industry sold nearly 5 million wedding dresses and gowns, according to Huang Min, deputy Party head in Dingji township.

"According to rough estimates, we have sent off more than 400,000 wedding dresses and gowns since the beginning of this year. All the companies are racing to grab orders and meet deadlines. The market is expected to rebound significantly this year," Huang said.

In an effort to further tap into the industry and create a tourism signature featuring culture related to wedding celebrations, Dingji township has planned and started building a characteristic town covering an area of 3.15 square kilometers.

Jiang Houhui (right), owner of a wedding dress store, arranges wedding dresses in her store, which is located in Dingji township, Yu'an district, Lu'an city, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

The “wedding dress” town under construction is expected to gather businesses and facilities related to the production and sale of wedding dresses, wedding customs, wedding photography, fashion shows and exhibitions, among other aspects of the industry.

The first and second phases of the project have been completed. The second phase of the project, which is equipped with supporting facilities for leisure activities and daily needs, can house about 200 commercial tenants.

"We will continue to implement the third phase of the project to expand space for the development of industries. Meanwhile, we will also launch cultural tourism routes, build cultural corridor featuring wedding dresses, and create space for the exhibition of wedding customs, so that our characteristic wedding dress industry will be more colorful," Huang said.  

A shop assistant arranges a traditional Chinese-style wedding gown in a wedding dress store in Dingji township, Yu'an district, Lu'an city, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)