At the Margins of the Great Leap Forward: Organizing the Cotton Textile Industry During China’s Rapid Industrialization Campaign, 1958–62

This paper examines the cause, the process, and the outcome of the reorganization of the textile industry during the Great Leap Forward (GLF) in China. Rather than a way of social and industrial mobilization, it argues that the decentralized organization of the textile industry was rooted in a preceding economic crisis and contributed to the industry's further collapse during the GLF. Specifically, the paper suggests that the GLF was launched in an already overheated economy, and the subsequent austerity measures imposed on the un-prioritized textile sector deepened industrial imbalances, exacerbating China’s economic crisis.

Based on archival documents from Shanghai and Shaanxi, the paper analyzes the dynamics of the textile sector during the GLF across three key dimensions: 1) localized coordination of raw materials, 2) fiscal decentralization, and 3) the grassroots innovations of textile technology. By focusing on the textile industry, this study broadens the scope of GLF research, which has traditionally focused on steel production, agricultural policies, and the resulting famine. Additionally, the paper also traces the emergence of a dynamic and sometimes fraught relationship between the central state, local governments, and textile managers, which became crucial for driving export-oriented textile manufacturing during the reform era.