1880年9月,兰州织呢局组建,中国近代毛纺织工业由此正式起步。取之不尽的廉价羊毛,先进的纺织设备,随意调拨的国库资金,都仿佛预示着织呢局的美好前景,以致于左宗棠在筹办阶段就已经预计其成了。他认为:在西北羊毛产地的中心设立织呢厂,成本低廉,足以抵制洋呢入口。然而,仅仅三年光景,兰州织呢局便归于失败,其兴亡过程令人深思。 September 1880, Lanzhou weaving Bureau formed, China’s modern wool textile industry which officially started. The inexhaustible supply of cheap wool, advanced textile equipment and the free allocation of treasury funds seem to herald the bright future of the weaving and weaving bureau, so that Tso Tsung-t’ang had already expected to become a preparatory stage. In his opinion, the establishment of a weaving factory in the center of the northwestern wool producing area is cheap enough to resist foreign imports. However, only three years, Lanzhou weaving Bureau will be at failure, its rise and death process is thought-provoking.