Germination and start-up: technological foundation and initial exploration of the industry
The starting point of China's silicone industry can be traced back to the 1950s. In 1951, the Beijing Chemical Experimental Institute of the Ministry of Heavy Industry used the Grignard method to synthesize silicone monomers and trial-produce silicone resins for the first time, marking the birth of China's silicone industry. In 1957, Shenyang Chemical Research Institute built an intermediate test workshop for silicone, and Shanghai Resin Factory built a production unit for the direct synthesis of methylchlorosilane, marking that China initially mastered silicone production technology. However, due to technological blockade and weak industrial foundation, until the late 1970s, China's silicone industry was still in its infancy, with an annual production capacity of only tens of tons to hundreds of tons, and the product price was expensive, mainly used in military or special industries.

Growth and expansion: capacity breakthrough and global layout
After the reform and opening up, China's silicone industry entered a period of rapid development. From the 1980s to the 1990s, 16 units including Jiangxi Xinghuo Chemical Plant and Shanghai Resin Plant built methyl monomer production units with a total production capacity of 12,000 tons/year, but the supply was still seriously insufficient. In 2004, Dow Corning and Wacker jointly built a 190,000 tons/year siloxane project in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu; in 2006, Bluestar Group acquired the silicone business of Rhodia in France and became the world's fourth largest silicone manufacturer; in 2007, Xin'an Group and Momentive cooperated to build a 100,000 tons/year silicone monomer project. So far, four of the world's top five silicone monomer manufacturers have achieved "Made in China". In 2017, China's silicone monomer production capacity reached 2.785 million tons (including foreign-funded and joint ventures), accounting for 52% of the world's total production capacity, becoming the world's largest producer and seller.

Innovation and leadership: technological breakthroughs and global competition
In recent years, China's silicone industry has entered an innovation-driven stage. Through technological transformation, enterprises have increased the design capacity of fluidized bed reactors to 150,000 tons/year, and the average selectivity of dimethyldichlorosilane has reached more than 83%. The cost of some devices is close to the level of foreign investment in China. At the same time, the industry actively responds to the "dual carbon" goal, promotes low-energy consumption and low-emission processes, and strengthens the research and development of environmentally friendly products. In 2024, China's organic silicon exports will increase by 33.94% year-on-year. Driven by the demand in emerging fields such as photovoltaics and new energy vehicles, the industry is shifting from scale expansion to high-end and green development. Today, China's organic silicon industry has become an important force that cannot be ignored in the global industrial chain.