cashmere industry

cashmere industry
Thanks largely to the grasslands that cover much of Inner Mongolia and the vast western hinterland of Gansu, Ningxia and Xinjiang, China is the world’s largest producer of cashmere, the fine wool produced by goats and specifically associated with one breed native to the Himalayas. In China cashmere is sometimes dubbed ‘soft gold’. Many goat breeders made their fortunes in the 1990s, when the country’s cashmere industry mushroomed to meet world demand. More than 2,000 cashmere factories had sprouted across China. At its highest point in 2000, one kilo of cashmere sold for 530 yuan (US$63.85).
Since the late 1990s, however, cashmere prices have fallen dramatically because of unfair competition, a lack of co-ordination, and poor management. And raw cashmere now garners less than 100 yuan (US$12.04) per kilo.
To make matters worse, environmentalists in China complained that allowing goats to graze wild was having a disastrous ecological impact on the grasslands, leaving them barren. From the point of view of the Chinese government, however, the cashmere industry employs too many workers to let the industry go under or shrink dramatically. The St Edenweiss Cashmere Fashion Trading Co. Ltd, for example, one of the most profitable companies in the Chinese industry, employs a staff of nearly 10,000 in various branches across the nation. Each year it sells 1.2 million pieces of cashmere to native and foreign consumers, and in Beijing alone it clears 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) per year in profits. In recent years, therefore, the government has taken steps to solve the dilemma and has instituted a new policy that encourages herdsmen to raise their goats in folds and fences, rather than allowing them to roam free. This may offer a compromise between saving nature and satisfying the demand for cashmere, which remains one of the most favoured textiles of Western designers like Laura Biagiotti and Giorgio Armani.
PAOLA ZAMPERINI

Encyclopedia of contemporary Chinese culture. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cashmere wool — Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, and sometimes known as Pashmina, is a fiber obtained from the Cashmere goat. The word cashmere derives from an archaic spelling of Kashmir . Cashmere wool is fine in texture, and it is also strong …   Wikipedia

  • clothing industry — Since 1994, China has been the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of textiles and clothing. In 2000, China’s trade volume of textiles and clothing accounted for almost 15 per cent of the world total. This is a figure that is expected to… …   Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture

  • Australian Cashmere Goat — After 25 years of selective breeding, the Australian Cashmere Goat has evolved into a distinctive breed of goat, far removed from its bush goat origins. Whilst retaining the fertility and hardiness of the bush goat, the Australian Cashmere is… …   Wikipedia

  • Music industry — The music industry or music business sells compositions, recordings and performances of music. Among the many individuals and organizations that operate within the industry are the musicians who compose and perform the music; the companies and… …   Wikipedia

  • Brian Wilson (politician) — Brian Wilson (born 13 December 1948 in Dunoon, Scotland) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Labour Party Member of Parliament from 1987 until 2005, and served as a Minister of State from 1997 to 2003 (Scottish Office 1997 ndash;1998,… …   Wikipedia

  • beauty contests — In the early 1980s the ‘pursuit of beauty’ was part of a backlash against the repressive Maoist state. Banned by the state since 1949, beauty contests were quickly co opted to stimulate the growth of consumer culture. Beijing Television Studio… …   Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture

  • Fashions — ▪ 2009       The faltering global economy determined the direction of fashion during 2008. Initially, the euro s significant appreciation against the dollar proved a boon to style conscious travelers who, visiting the U.S. from abroad as the year …   Universalium

  • Economy of Mongolia — The former Lenin Museum in Ulaanbaatar Rank 150th (2009 est.) Currency 1 tögrög (MNT) = 100 m …   Wikipedia

  • Moxon Huddersfield — Coordinates: 53°33′40″N 1°48′43″W / 53.561°N 1.812°W / 53.561; 1.812 …   Wikipedia

  • Black Ice (album) — Black Ice …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”