In 2024, it marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the China Sewing Machinery Association. 40 years of hard work and perseverance, 40 years of wind and rain, the association has united with all industry enterprises and partners, worked hard, persevered, and grown side by side. With hard work, sweat, and infinite wisdom, we have tirelessly promoted the great transformation of China's sewing machinery industry, witnessed the prosperity and takeoff of China's sewing machinery industry, and worked together to build a solid foundation for China's sewing machine from small to large, from large to strong, and to realize the dream of building a strong country! On this year of celebration, China Sewing Machinery interviewed Yang Xiaojing, Chairman of the China Sewing Machinery Association, and asked him to talk about the development history of the association over the past 40 years and the upcoming commemorative activities.

China Sewing Machinery: What was the historical background when the China Sewing Machine Association (predecessor of the China Sewing Machinery Association) was established in 1984?

Chairman Yang Xiaojing: When it comes to sewing machines, people may first think of old-fashioned blackhead household sewing machines. From the early 1970s to the late 1980s, as one of the "three major items", it was popular among one billion citizens for more than 20 years and became a must-have item for millions of households, occupying a unique position in the national economy and life.

The China Sewing Machine Association was established in 1984, coinciding with the country's transition from a planned economy to a market economy. On the one hand, under the guidance of the national reform and opening-up policy, the prices of sewing machine products have been fully liberalized, and production has rapidly increased, resulting in a large surplus of household sewing machines; On the other hand, with the rapid development of downstream sewing industries such as clothing, shoes, hats, and bags nationwide, the demand for domestic industrial machines cannot be effectively met. Taking 1982 as an example, China set a record for the highest annual production of sewing machines, with a total output of 12.86 million units. However, industrial sewing machines were only 337000 units, indicating a serious shortage of production capacity. In view of the increasingly urgent task of adjusting the industry structure and effectively adapting to the comprehensive situation of domestic and international industrial development, the Ministry of Light Industry of China has assessed the situation and taken the lead in initiating the transformation from departmental management to industry management. After three years of sufficient preparation, the industry has successfully established the China Sewing Machine Association.