A new production line for down jackets operated by China's fast-fashion label Metersbonwe will begin trial operations at the end of March in Bijie, Guizhou province in Southwest China.

As part of local efforts to attract the relocation of the light-textile sector from China's eastern provinces, the project is expected to generate employment for a large migrant-worker population.

The line is a 1 billion yuan ($143.6 million) joint investment by Metersbonwe and local firms. With an annual capacity of 20 million pieces, organizers say the project will tap Bijie's abundant labor pool and allow more local residents to earn income without leaving home.

"We will introduce the advanced production model of an intelligent factory to Guizhou. We expect to employ 4,000 people in the first year and, as capacity rises, exceed 10,000,"Metersbonwe Chairman Zhou Chengjian said at a meeting in Bijie on Monday.

Metersbonwe is not the first apparel brand to move production inland. China's textile industry was once concentrated in coastal provinces such as Zhejiang and Guangdong. Rising labor costs and worker shortages have pushed many companies to consider relocating.

Bijie's large population gives the city an advantage. Local media report the city is one of Guizhou's most populous areas, with more than 1.8 million residents who work away from home year-round. Some 53,800 people from Bijie are employed in the textile sector outside the region.

An average resident age of 32.9 and a stable labor force of more than 2 million people aged 16 to 40 are Bijie's demographic strengths.

"The relative ease of recruiting labor was the main reason we chose Bijie," said Pang Yonggui, general manager of Bijie Jingwong Garment Co. The company is a subsidiary of Crystal International Group, one of the world's largest garment contractors.

The group's client list on its website includes international brands such as Uniqlo and H&M.

Pang said the firm, after surveying locations nationwide, established operations in Nayong county of Bijie in 2022. Last year the unit's output reached about 840 million yuan and is expected to reach 1 billion yuan this year.

Bijie is now one of six branches of the company in China and produces casual wear for internationally known brands. Roughly 30 percent of its output is exported to Southeast Asia, Japan and other markets, according to Pang.

As hometown employment opportunities expand, many migrant workers are returning and applying skills they learned elsewhere.

Wu Changlun, who worked outside the province for many years and returned to Bijie last year, was appointed production workshop supervisor at a local textile firm. He has more than a decade of industry experience.

"Many of our fellow townspeople used to work away. Now that factories are at our doorstep, many have come back," Wu said.

Local government data show the city's textile and apparel industry achieved an industrial output value of 1.987 billion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 47.72 percent.

Authorities are accelerating construction of supporting infrastructure, including combined heat and power plants, industrial wastewater treatment facilities, water supply plants, and transmission lines.

Contact the writers at liuboqian@chinadaily.com.cn