The workers blocked four streets in downtown Wujiang city, Jiangsu province, for five hours on Monday afternoon, the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said.
They launched the protest because the owner of their company, Chunyu Textile Company, had suddenly gone missing on Friday, apparently escaping abroad along with members of his family, leaving wages unpaid, the centre said.
The protesters only agreed to disperse after a city official emerged, promising to find a solution to their plight.
Wujiang officials contacted on Tuesday confirmed a protest had taken place, but declined to go into details.
'Some workers from the textile factory took to the street, but I'm not sure how many,' said an official with the city Labour and Social Security bureau.
It was unclear if the company owner had fled because of economic difficulties linked to the ongoing global economic and financial crisis, which has had a big impact on China's exporters.
In the southern Chinese export hub of Dongguan, the owner of a Hong Kong-listed toy factory fled after his company went bust earlier this month, leaving 7,000 workers jobless and owed back pay.
Many of those workers protested, forcing the local government to help pay some of the back wages.
