Xiaoshan Hemp Woven Shoes Are The Key Protection Skill, And Olympic Champion Lang Ping Is Willing To Customize Them

In the 1980s, wearing a pair of Xiaoshan hemp knitting techniques was the most fashionable dress for young women at that time. Recently, this hemp weaving craft, which embodies the wisdom of the people in Xiaoshan, was rated by Hangzhou Economic Commission as the second batch of key protected skills of Hangzhou's traditional arts and crafts. In the future, it will be specially protected by Hangzhou.

The first double hemp knitting art and craft shoes Made for France

Feng Guanhai, a "ancestor" figure, must be mentioned when introducing Xiaoshan linen weaving technology.

Feng Guanhai is 63 years old. People in the industry respectfully call him Master Feng. It was Master Feng and his colleagues who produced Xiaoshan's first pair of hemp woven craft shoes.

At the end of October 1979, the Xiaoshan factory where Master Feng worked received an order from a French company to make hemp woven craft shoes. "At that time, Xiaoshan was one of the three key production counties of flax in China. Although it produced flax, there was no precedent for using flax to make shoes." Master Feng said that as a sample helper in the factory, his task and his colleagues was to make identical hemp woven craft shoes with reference to the sample shoes provided by customers.

After many times of research and exploration, they finally found the production method: picking the flax, making it into twine, knitting it into soles and edges. Grind hemp stalks into powder and press them into heels. With colorful and diversified uppers. These hemp woven craft shoes, each of which is no more than five or six pairs, are sturdy, durable, beautiful and generous, and have been praised by the industry. They are said to be "shaped like a boat, light as clouds". For this reason, the factory also registered a trademark, which means "foot generates wind" and is called "Shengfeng Brand".

It was once popular in more than 50 countries and regions

In 1980, Xiaoshan linen woven craft shoes were exported for the first time, which won the favor of foreign businessmen. Since then, orders have increased from several hundred thousand pairs to several million pairs every year. In 1984, Xiaoshan hemp woven craft shoes won the first prize of excellent creative design of the Hundred Flowers Award for Chinese Arts and Crafts of the Ministry of Light Industry. It is popular in more than 50 countries and regions around the world. During this period, Xiaoshan Leather changed its name to Zhejiang Craft Shoes Factory and became a major export earner in Xiaoshan in the 1980s and early 1990s.

At that time, ordinary people were proud to wear a pair of Xiaoshan linen woven shoes, and even Lang Ping, Qin Yi and others also specially made them.

"Gong Xue, who won the Best Actress of the 1984 Hundred Flowers Award, drove to Xiaoshan from Shanghai and bought 40 pairs of craft shoes. In addition to wearing them himself, she also gave them to her peers at home and abroad as a gift. At that time, the national women's volleyball girls Lang Ping, Zhang Rongfang, Zhou Xiaolan, etc., ordered 200 pairs of craft shoes at a time." Jin Agen, who was once the deputy director of Zhejiang Arts and Crafts Shoes Factory, recalled.

Main channels for Puyang farmers to become rich

With the popularity of Xiaoshan hemp knitting shoes, various hemp knitting industries have sprung up. Among them, Puyang Town is the most concentrated. In 1996, after the disintegration of Zhejiang Craft Shoes Factory, Puyang Town became one of the main production bases of craft shoes in China.

Now, in Puyang Town, no matter which village you enter, you can see villagers sewing shoe soles, beads, and embroidery flowers at their doorstep. The family processing industry extended from these craft shoe industries has become the main channel for Puyang farmers to increase their income. According to statistics, there are 124 craft shoe enterprises and supporting enterprises in the town at present, solving the surplus labor force of more than 8000 people in the town. In 2007, the annual output exceeded 30 million pairs, all of which were exported to Europe and the United States, with a total output value of 500 million yuan.

Set up a major to train inheritors

How will Xiaoshan hemp knitting technology be inherited and developed in the future? Wang Jianglin, president of the District Arts and Crafts Shoes Industry Association, said that the industry is most lacking in professional technology. Only by training more professional talents can Xiaoshan linen knitting enterprises go further.

To this end, the Association has cooperated with Xiaoshan No. 3 Vocational High School to launch a design major, one of which is hemp weaving technology. "The school is responsible for teaching students the theory of shoe making, and the enterprise provides practice and jobs." Wang Jianglin said that the major has now recruited about 80 students for two sessions, and the first batch of students will go to work next year. In the future, these local designers with professional background will shoulder the responsibility of inheritance and development of Xiaoshan linen knitting technology, and promote Xiaoshan linen knitting technology shoes to all parts of the world.