Storyline: China's textile industry stitches new future with innovation, smart upgrades [Voice_over] China's textile industry is weaving a new future through innovation and intelligent upgrades. At a factory in Keqiao, a district in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, and a global textile hub, digital textile printers bring vivid patterns and complex designs to life with precision and speed. Engineers at the company co-developed the equipment with university researchers and say the printed fabrics are highly sought-after in the market. [Sound_bite] Zhang Jianmu, head, digital printing plant: "These metallic foil elements can be printed directly onto the fabric, which isn’t possible with other types of digital printing. This kind of 3D printing achieves its effect through changes in design style. And thermochromic printing is used here — watch how the color reacts. Press it with your hand, and the heat makes the red vanish. In the first quarter, compared with the same period last year, our output value increased by about 21 percent, and exports grew by around 31 percent." [Voice_over] This textile company in the eastern city of Nantong, meanwhile, has taken production to the next level by automating all its manufacturing processes. According to the general manager, the shift to full automation has boosted productivity and lowered costs, allowing the firm to focus on new product design. [Sound_bite] Qi Yingbin, general manager, textile company: "Our labor efficiency has improved by 15 percent, while labor costs per unit have dropped by 50 percent. Consumers are increasingly demanding personalized, differentiated, and functional apparel and home textiles. We focus mainly on market and customer needs to develop and innovatively design new products." [Voice_over] In the first quarter of this year, China's textile and garment exports rose one percent from the same period last year to more than 66 billion U.S. dollars. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]