Huwei Township Opens 'Towel Festival Story Hall' to Chronicle Local Industry

Huwei Township in Yunlin County, long celebrated as Taiwan's "hometown of towels," now boasts a "Towel Festival Story Hall" dedicated to preserving and showcasing its rich industrial heritage.

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We hope that the public can witness the development history of Huwei towels.

The initiative, spearheaded by local representatives, involved the county government supporting the Lenei Community Development Association in utilizing the second floor of their activity center. The hall officially opened its doors, offering a space for the public to connect with Huwei's textile past. Community Chairman Hsu Hsiu-chin highlighted that the hall is open for visits by appointment on weekdays, expressing hope that it will allow people to witness the historical development of the Huwei towel industry.

County Councilor Lin Wen-pin detailed the industry's origins, tracing back to the 1950s when favorable irrigation and industrial conditions in Huwei attracted the Gu family from Shanghai to establish the county's first towel factory. This marked the beginning of a thriving local industry that employed many community members as Taiwan's economy grew, with annual output once exceeding NT$100 million. However, the industry faced challenges from international competition and low-cost imports from China and Southeast Asia, leading to the closure of many factories.

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To preserve local industrial memory, we proposed setting up the 'Towel Festival Story Hall' on the second floor of the Lenei Activity Center to the county government, hoping everyone can witness the industry's transformation from household processing to branding.

Despite these challenges, Lin noted that some local towel businesses have adapted through "differentiation" strategies and transformation, integrating cultural and creative brands and tourism to revitalize the sector. Today, 39 towel businesses still operate in Huwei. The story hall was established to preserve this local industrial memory, illustrating the transition from home-based production to branded manufacturing.

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The Towel Festival Story Hall has four core exhibition areas... hoping that the public can understand that towels have long surpassed daily necessities and have become cultural carriers that integrate creativity and local identity.

Liao Cheng-yen, Director of the County Government's Construction Bureau, explained that the hall features four core exhibition areas. These include a development story wall with historical materials and maps from local businesses and associations, a themed display area for four prominent local towel manufacturers, an industry story video, and limited DIY experiences. The aim is to show how towels have evolved beyond daily necessities into cultural carriers blending creativity and local identity. Hsu added that the hall is more than just an exhibition space; it's a "timeless thread" weaving the history of the community's efforts, and encourages visitors to also support local towel factories after their visit.

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The story hall is not just an exhibition space, but like a thread of time, a never-stopping weaving machine, weaving the history of struggle.