Cloth shoes produced in C China's Henan retain strong appeal for domestic, international clients

Workers produce embroidered cloth shoes in Yanshi district, Luoyang city, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 20, 2024. (China News Service/Han Zhangyun)

With the 2025 Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, drawing near, shoemaking enterprises in Yanshi district, Luoyang city, central China's Henan Province are working to fulfill orders and delivering the shoes to clients all over the world.

"Our factory has been busy since October 2024. Initially, our factory focused on delivering overseas orders, and now that the Spring Festival is coming, we are busy producing spring shoes for domestic orders,” said Li Zhigang, head of Shuanglong Shoes Factory in Yanshi. Li added that 80 percent of the factory's production in 2024 was exported to countries like Russia, South Korea, and India.

Dubbed as the capital of China's cloth shoes, the district is now home to more than 600 shoe production enterprises and over 500 supporting enterprises after over six decades of development. With nearly 100,000 people in the shoemaking industry, the district is the country's largest production base for cloth shoes and textile fabrics shoes.

In 2023, Yanshi exported over 160 million pairs of cloth shoes, which were approximately 40 percent of its annual production, to more than 50 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America.

Photo shows Chinese-style cloth shoes in Yanshi district, Luoyang city, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 20, 2024. (China News Service/Han Zhangyun).

According to Zhang Jun, secretary general of association of the Yanshi shoe industry, multiple kinds of materials such as cotton cloth, canvas, and breathable leather are used for the upper part of the shoe. The sole is not only waterproof, which is an attribute that traditional cloth shoes lack, but also soft and comfortable.

Traditional Chinese cloth shoes are becoming increasingly fashionable, enjoying popularity both domestically and internationally. Born in the 1990s, Liu Hangying joined the industry because of his family's influence. He launched some products based on market demands, which proved very popular. "Now consumers are attracted by traditional Chinese culture. I believe Chinese-style cloth shoes and embroidered cloth shoes will remain popular in the next few years," he said.

"The demands for cloth shoes styles vary from place to place," said Li. He explained that European and African consumers prefer bright-colored cloth shoes, while consumers from East Asia favor understated, minimalist designs.