Hong Youlian: The Person Who Knows Chinese Feet Best

Introduction: "no international brand has the foot data of Chinese people, nor has it developed footwear according to the Chinese foot type. The shoes of European and American brands are designed according to the feet data of Westerners, but in fact, they are not suitable for Chinese foot characteristics. In fact, in addition to researching and designing sports shoes suitable for Chinese feet, Hong's lab also worked with Lining to develop lightweight shoes. Foreign shoes "do not match" Chinese foot "any international brand has no feet data of Chinese people, nor has it been developed according to the foot type of Chinese people. The shoes of European and American brands are designed according to the foot data of Westerners, but in fact, they are not suitable for Chinese foot characteristics." In August 2007, Professor Hong Youlian, director of the sports and Sports Science Department of Chinese University Hong Kong and vice president of the international sports biomechanics society, said in an interview with China Economic Weekly. Professor Hong Youlian's remark is not a word of mouth. Over the past year, he and his team have travelled around China to collect more than twenty thousand Chinese foot data, from the north to the south, from the old to the children, from the ordinary to the professional athletes. This is something that neither Chinese nor foreigners have done. It is precisely the feet of the twenty thousand Chinese people who have given Hong Yu Lian his "bottom line". The reason for making such a judgement is mainly because Hong Youlian found in the investigation and research: "the Chinese foot type is wider than the westerners." He said. "This is why many Chinese people wear European and American brand shoes. They feel that if they find the right fit, they will be longer, and if their feet are right, they will feel a little thinner." Hong Youlian said, "so when you wear more, you will feel more feet." Hong Youlian also found that "any international brand of footwear research and development is strictly confidential, not only the R & D center will remain in the country, and will never allow any other country to intervene in the development process." He said, "foreign brands are not designed according to the foot shape of the Chinese people, that is, the shoe's matrix, the shoe forming mold." According to Hong Youlian, in the design of a shoe, the design of shoe last is very important, because it relates to the comfort of shoes, that is to say, whether the shoes stick to feet. "Even if the foot length is the same, the foot type will be very different, that is, the weight and weight of the feet are different. We call them different shoe last ones." Hong Youlian said, "the ideal situation is that everyone will customize a pair of shoes, that will be very fit, but this is obviously not possible for ordinary people; so we need to type the shoes of the same length, and see what type will fit most people in a certain area." "It is certainly a good thing for consumers to have a lot of typing, but for manufacturers, it means that the cost is too high, so we need to find a balance through research." According to Hong Youlian, the main method of typing is to investigate people's foot type data, and then use some statistical methods to scientifically draw the conclusion of classification. On the high shelf of Hongyou Lian's laboratory, the reporters saw hundreds of different shoe lasts marked with different "data points". Of course, the reporters who did not know the line looked like models of various kinds of feet, and even some horrors. Hong Youlian also emphasized the importance of shoe type to shoes wearers, especially those who are developing teenagers and a lot of sports. It is very important to choose the right shoes suitable for their feet, and not just regard them as fashion products. Lining was actually given the "cheap company". In fact, the international brands in Europe and the United States did not realize the importance of the foot data. "They also wanted to do some research on the feet of the Chinese people, but they did not have the corresponding conditions." Hong Youlian said. As a result, the data of Hong Yu Lian has become the object of many multinationals. "A famous European and American brand has looked for me. I really want the data of my feet. It also wants to cooperate with me to study the foot of the Chinese people through a company, but I have never given them." The reason why he refused to be "heavily bought" was that Hong Hong admitted that there was a lot of "personal emotional factors": "if I agree, it will help them to produce shoes that fit the Chinese feet and then enter the Chinese market, which I will not do." For the precious data, Hong Youlian did not plan for herself until the Li Ning Co's CEO Zhang Zhiyong and strategic director Zhang Hui visited. "The research and testing of shoes is an essential step in developing footwear products, and also an important link in the success of NIKE and ADIDAS. However, our Chinese enterprises are just beginning to explore this area. " Hong Youlian said. Li Ning Co is one of the first domestic enterprises to realize this. So the company came to the Cologne University of physical education in Germany, one of the most famous footwear research laboratories in the world, and hopes to work with its head, Dr. Freedman, to conduct footwear testing and research. "Freedman is my mentor in Cologne," Hong Youlian said. "My teacher told Zhang Zhiyong," why do you want to go far? My student, Hongyou Lian from China, is doing research in Hongkong. At the same time, Lining's strategic director, Zhang Hui, hired a headhunter to find the right partner. The headhunter gave only one name on the list: Hong you Lian. Thus, the precious figures of Hong you Lian eventually reduced the "small company" Lining. "Compared with NIKE and ADIDAS, Lining is a small company, but I can see that Lining has made rapid progress in shoes, and the company's top executives also attach great importance to shoe testing and research." Hong Youlian is full of friendship with Lining and full of hope for cooperation with Lining. In fact, in addition to researching and designing sports shoes suitable for Chinese feet, Hong's lab also worked with Lining to develop lightweight shoes. "Lightweight shoes are not as light as possible, because light has high requirements for materials and technology, and may be better in some aspects, but on the other hand, the quality will be worse." Hong Youlian said, "to what extent is running shoes to be the best? It is necessary to study." According to people of the Li Ning Co to China Economic Weekly, "at present, Lining's latest light running shoes market is very good. When it first launched, it sold 400 thousand pairs, and many places were sold out." In fact, he has been in contact with his feet for nearly twenty years. Actually, he has become a "person who knows the feet of the Chinese people best" for nearly twenty years. Hong Youlian graduated from the Department of Engineering Mechanics and mathematics in Tsinghua University in 1970. Later, he entered the factory and became a very enviable mechanical engineer. Hong Youlian loves sports very much, especially gymnastics. "Although I am an amateur, I am six omnipotent!" His passion for sports made him interested in sports mechanics. So after nine years of work, he resolutely left his old job and entered the Beijing Sport University to learn mechanics of motion. His life started a great turning point. His work and life were closely related to sports. After graduating from Beijing University, Hong Youlian became a teacher. In 1986, Hong Youlian got an opportunity to enter the Cologne University of physical education in Germany (hereinafter referred to as "the Cologne body"), under the guidance of Professor Freedman, a famous sports science expert, to pursue sports science and minor in sports medicine. The Cologne body is the largest sports university in the world. Entering the Cologne body can be said to be the second great turning point of Hong you Lian's life. It is also here that he first touched on the research of foot type and footwear. At that time, NIKE and ADIDAS were collaborated with his tutor to carry out research on sports shoes. Hong Youlian also participated in many research projects on footwear. In 1991, Hong Youlian graduated from Cologne and received a doctorate in sports science. Later, he entered the Hongkong Institute of physical education, where he founded the sports shoes Laboratory of the Hongkong Institute of physical education, and began his own footwear research. In November 1993, Hong Youlian transferred to Chinese University Hong Kong. Over the past few years, he has been a very active scholar, and he has made more than 30 independent research achievements. In addition to doing some competitive sports research, he also conducted a systematic and in-depth study of footwear which he had been very keen on. Hong Youlian said his main research topics this year are: Oriental running characteristics and demand analysis of shock absorption function, Oriental demand for running light shoes, Oriental foot data analysis and shoe last comfort test. "Making the most comfortable shoes and making the most suitable shoes for Chinese people" is his biggest goal. Another wish of Honglian, who loves Tai Chi, is to develop "martial arts shoes". He said that he started the idea when the Taijiquan teacher asked the students to buy badminton shoes. "Martial arts is a special sport, but there are many people in it. There are millions of people playing Taijiquan, but there are no suitable shoes. I believe it will be very meaningful."