During the Third-Front Movement starting in 1964, Sichuan was one of the core construction provinces, and Chongqing, with its unique geographic location, became a pivotal national construction hub. A large number of strategic factories in electronics, shipbuilding, weaponry, energy and chemical sectors were relocated to Chongqing via new construction, expansion and renovation, forming a solid strategic rear base.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, China’s annual cotton output stood at merely 42 million to 47 million dan (2.1–2.35 billion kg), far short of domestic industrial and daily demand. Limited arable land had to prioritize grain cultivation, creating a land-use conflict between grain and cotton. To resolve the clothing shortage and ease reliance on cotton, China urgently developed chemical fiber industry, which requires no farmland for raw materials.
In January 1972, Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai personally approved the import of four complete chemical fiber production lines, namely Liaoyang Petrochemical Fiber General Works, Shanghai Petrochemical General Works, Tianjin Petrochemical Fiber Plant and Sichuan Vinylon Works. All four were to be completed within six years with a combined annual output of 240,000 tons of chemical fiber, equivalent to 250 million tons of cotton supply.
In June 1972, the State Planning Commission formally approved the Sichuan Vinylon Works project. After cross-regional surveys and evaluations, the site was finalized at Zhujiaba, Changshou County, Sichuan Province (now Zhujiaba, Changshou District, Chongqing). The project construction headquarters was established in July 1973, and ground breaking took place on August 30, 1974 after one year of preparatory work. Its designed capacity covered 45,000 tons of vinylon fiber, 90,000 tons of vinyl acetate, 95,000 tons of methanol and 26,000 tons of acetylene per year.
The construction received full support from the Ministry of Textiles, Sichuan Provincial Government and over 40 national survey, design and construction institutes. At the peak, more than 30,000 construction workers from all over China gathered at Zhujiaba. The site buzzed with machinery, banners and slogans, and two 100-Day Campaigns were launched to accelerate progress. The plant’s workshops adopted high-standard concrete and metal frame structures, consuming massive volumes of steel and cement. To ensure early commissioning, the plant dispatched staff to peer factories nationwide for training, and negotiated technology and equipment imports with Japanese and French firms. Finally, a complete 45,000-ton PVA production line was imported from Kuraray of Japan.
Construction was largely finished in May 1979, entering trial production phase. The first full feed test run achieved complete success at the end of December the same year.
The Third-Front Movement concluded in 1980, marking the launch of China’s Reform and Opening-Up. Sichuan Vinylon Works entered a rapid growth era. After three years of trial operation, it passed national acceptance in May 1983 and was fully incorporated into Sinopec by the end of the year, ranking among China’s four major chemical fiber production bases.
In the 1980s, the plant’s annual vinylon output accounted for one quarter of the national total, and its chemical fiber raw materials were widely adopted by garment manufacturers at home and abroad. Dacron garments prevailed across the country for their bright color fastness, light weight and durability, making the plant’s products sell out rapidly.
Throughout the 1990s, a series of expansion and technical upgrades were carried out, including a 30,000-ton VAE emulsion unit, 100,000-ton formaldehyde production line and natural gas-to-acetylene project, bringing qualitative leaps in production capacity and process technology. At its peak, the enterprise operated two chemical plants, two fiber plants and one thermal power plant with a workforce of 12,000, forming a spectacular daily commute scene.
In 2003, the plant carried out institutional reform by separating core and auxiliary businesses and shedding non-core social functions. In November 2017, it completed corporate restructuring and was renamed Sinopec Chongqing Chuanwei Chemical Co., Ltd. Over more than 50 years of development, Chuanwei has grown alongside Changshou District, witnessing the evolution of China’s natural gas chemical industry and local economic expansion, and making irreplaceable contributions to regional growth.
