Shuitou Town, China: Transformation and Innovation of the Global Quartz Capital
Shuitou Town, China: Transformation and Innovation of the Global Quartz Capital
Shuitou Town, located in Fujian Province, is the center of the global quartz industry. By 2025, the scale of Shuitou Town's quartz industry will exceed 80 billion yuan, accounting for 65% of China's quartz production and 30% of global trade. After ten years of transformation, Shuitou Town has gradually developed from a traditional stone distribution center to the current 'Silicon Valley of Quartz'. The key node of this transformation is that the 2024 International Quartz Industry Summit will be permanently settled in Shuitou, further consolidating Shuitou's leading position in the global quartz industry.
1. Three Engines of Industrial Upgrading
The rise of Shuitou Town is not accidental, but through continuous efforts in the three major areas of technological innovation, green transformation and brand reshaping.
1) Technological innovation: from OEM to intelligent manufacturing
Shuitou's quartz industry upgrade began with the introduction of intelligent manufacturing. By introducing the Italian Breton fully automatic press, Shuitou's production yield rate has increased to 99.8%. In addition, Shuitou Town has also made significant breakthroughs in technological innovation. In 2025, 237 new quartz-related patents were added, among which low-temperature vacuum forming technology ranked first in the world. Shuitou invests more than 1.5 billion yuan in research and development every year, and has built the largest quartz material laboratory in Asia, which has promoted the technological progress of the industry.
2) Green transformation: carbon neutral practice
Shuitou Town has also made remarkable achievements in green transformation. Through photovoltaic quartz sand purification technology, Shuitou Town has effectively reduced energy consumption and reduced energy consumption by 40%. Shuitou Town has also achieved a waste recycling rate of 89% and established an industrial park with zero wastewater discharge, promoting the practice of green manufacturing. At the same time, Shuitou Town also took the lead in formulating the national standard "Guidelines for Carbon Footprint Accounting of Quartz Industry" to promote the industry to move towards sustainable development.
3) Brand reshaping: from low-price competition to high-end breakthrough
Shuitou Town has achieved a transformation from low-price competition to high-end breakthrough through brand reshaping. The Shuitou Quartz collective trademark has obtained EU certification, and has established a digital texture database in cooperation with the Polytechnic University of Milan, which has increased the design added value of quartz products. As the export price of high-end quartz slabs jumped from $12 per square meter to $35, Shuitou quartz gradually took a leading position in the international market.
2. Shuitou's Role in the Global Supply Chain
Shuitou Town occupies an important position in the global quartz supply chain. Shuitou Town ensures a stable supply of high-quality raw materials by purchasing quartz sand with a purity of 99.2% directly from Namibia, Africa. Through exclusive shipping channels, Shuitou Town's products can be quickly delivered to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia within 48 hours. In addition, Shuitou also provides whole-plant equipment solutions for quartz production plants in Vietnam and India, further expanding its influence in the global market.
Yeyang High Quality Quartz Countertop Produced by Shuitou Factory
3. Global Quartz Capital's Challenges and future layout
Although Shuitou Town occupies a leading position in the global quartz industry, it still faces many challenges. The rapid growth of Vietnam's quartz production capacity and the 17% tariff difference in 2025 have brought price competition pressure. In addition, Shuitou Town's traditional stone merchants are experiencing the pain of transforming into high-tech managers.
In order to meet these challenges and continue to develop, Shuitou Town is making strategic layout. Shuitou will invest 2 billion yuan to build a "space-grade quartz R&D center" and cooperate with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to focus on high-end fields such as 6G communication wave-transmitting quartz and aerospace high-temperature resistant materials. The more ambitious blueprint is the "zero-carbon quartz industrial park" expected to be built in 2027. Through rooftop photovoltaic + carbon capture technology, quartz plates will emit only 0.8kg CO₂ per square meter, which is 90% lower than the industry average. As the mayor emphasized in the interview: "We don't want a bloody GDP, but to create an industry that can breathe."
4. Choose Yeyang Stone
Yeyang Stone, founded in Shuitou, the capital of stone, has witnessed the transformation and innovation of Shuitou's quartz industry. As a leading quartz supplier, Yeyang Stone combines advanced technology, green practices and innovative design to provide high-quality quartz countertops to customers around the world. Whether it is a residential project or commercial use, Yeyang Stone has always been committed to providing excellent quartz products and showcasing the industry's future innovations.
