In an exclusive interview, we traveled south from the bustling center of Yulin City, known as the “Camel City of the North,” to reach the heart of the Loess Plateau in Zizhou County. Here, the pure white, feather-light cashmere is continuously being shipped from production facilities to high-end markets both domestically and internationally.
Zizhou County has earned a reputation for producing top-quality cashmere, known as “soft gold.” In fact, China is responsible for 70% of the world’s cashmere supply, with the Shaanxi white cashmere goat standing out for its high yield and exceptional fiber quality. The local goats are recognized for their fine fiber diameter, length, and overall production, positioning them at the forefront of domestic standards.
As one of the national ecological function zones and a model county for the transformation and upgrading of the sheep industry, Zizhou is ideally located in a prime area for white cashmere goat farming. In this context, local authorities are actively attracting enterprises and initiating the development of an ultra-fine white cashmere goat rural industrial integration demonstration park.
According to official sources, the project will span 1,921 acres and include the establishment of a cashmere goat breeding farm, cashmere sorting facilities, production plants for feed and organic fertilizer, a cashmere bonded warehouse, and a cashmere trading center, along with necessary supporting infrastructure. Once completed, the park is expected to produce 400 tons of cashmere, 100,000 tons of cashmere goat feed, and 150,000 tons of organic fertilizer annually.
Cui Yingguo, the chairman of Shaanxi Haoli Cashmere Goat Technology Development Co., Ltd., explained during a tour of the cashmere production workshop, “We collaborate with leading research institutions like the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Northwest A&F University to ensure that our cashmere boasts a fineness of less than 14 microns and a length greater than 40 millimeters, significantly exceeding the standards required for luxury international brands.” The company has invested in over 800 processing machines, achieving an annual production capacity of more than 3 million cashmere products.
Cui further noted that the exceptional quality of the cashmere produced here has attracted partnerships with renowned international brands such as Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna. The park aims to leverage the breeding experience in Zizhou County, the foundational breeding resources in Hengshan District, the geographical advantages of Yuyang District, and the land resources of Dingbian County to target a production value of 10 billion yuan by 2028.
Currently, the demonstration park features four core breeding facilities and oversees 23 large-scale farms, all achieving standardized and industrialized operations, with a population of ultra-fine cashmere goats reaching 168,000. This initiative not only promotes collective economic organizations within the surrounding villages through land transfer dividends, managed farms, and premium purchases of local cashmere but also creates employment opportunities for 1,500 people, with individuals earning an average annual income increase of over 2,000 yuan.
Secretary Feng Jie of the Communist Party Committee in Zizhou County expressed that the county is committed to cashmere goat cultivation, actively integrating into the international market, enhancing brand influence, and driving high-quality development across the entire cashmere industry chain to support the revitalization of rural areas.
