Founder Story · 发明人故事

Behind the fiber is one inventor's perseverance.

The story of a single soy protein fiber began in 1991.

That year, Mr. Li Guanqi began to consider a simple question: beyond low-value uses, could the soybean meal left after oil extraction become a truly valuable new material?

This idea later became soy protein fiber. It brought the plant protein in soybean meal into the fiber-forming process, giving an otherwise unremarkable agricultural by-product the chance to become a plant-protein fiber for home textiles, nonwovens, filling, and next-to-skin materials.

This invention later won the China Patent Gold Award and the WIPO–SIPO Award for Outstanding Chinese Patented Invention. In public reports, soy protein fiber has also been praised as "artificial cashmere."

For today's 李官奇® · LGQ®, this story is not an honor that stays in the past. It is also why we continue to raise protein content, launch liguanqi® 特浓25 (Extra-Rich 25), and explore the LGQ® Cansoyn™ sugarcane + soy low-carbon path.

More than thirty years on, this soy protein fiber born from soybean meal keeps moving forward.

Li Guanqi lab portrait

Timeline

From soybean meal to fiber — thirty-five years of perseverance

1991

The soybean-meal idea

An idea about soybean meal

Began to consider whether the soybean meal left after oil extraction could be used for spinning

1993–1994

Repeated trials

Trial after trial

Repeated trials of protein extraction, spinning-dope preparation, and wet forming

1997

Industrial pilot production

Toward industrial pilot production

A related industrial production line was established

2001

Core patent

Core invention patent

"Plant-protein synthetic filament and its manufacturing method" received its invention patent certificate

2003

Honors & awards

Double gold award

"Plant-protein synthetic filament and its manufacturing technology" won the 8th China Patent Gold Award, jointly conferred by WIPO–SIPO

2006

Contemporary inventor

Contemporary inventor

Received the "Invention & Entrepreneurship Award — Special Grand Prize" from the China Invention Association and was given the honorary title of "Contemporary Inventor"

2007

National Science & Technology Progress Award

National Science & Technology Progress Award

"Producing soy protein fiber from soybean cake meal" won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award

2008

Olympic torchbearer

Olympic torchbearer

Cauldron-lighting torchbearer for the Henan leg of the Beijing Olympic Games

2018

Trademark launch

李官奇® trademark launch

The 10%-protein essential soy protein fiber entered the productization stage

2019

National honor

70th-anniversary commemorative medal

Awarded the "Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China" commemorative medal issued by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission

2026

Brand expansion

Brand expansion

Launch of liguanqi® 特浓25 and LGQ® Cansoyn™

Today

To this day

Continuing to enter daily life

From the 10% essential line to 特浓25 to the sugarcane + soy low-carbon path

Honors & Achievements

Key recognition over thirty-five years of invention

Composite of the China Patent Gold Award and WIPO-SIPO double-gold certificates

2003

Double gold award

Jointly conferred by WIPO–SIPO

National Science & Technology Progress Award

2007

National Science & Technology Progress Award

Second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award

Olympic torchbearer

2008

Olympic torchbearer

Torchbearer for the Henan leg of the Beijing Olympic Games

State Council Special Allowance

2009

State Council Special Allowance

For special contributions to national scientific research

70th-anniversary commemorative medal

2019

70th-anniversary commemorative medal

Issued by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission

"Write your research on the soybean and the land..."

"...and leave the technology to the future and to life."
— Li Guanqi