Yemeni "Foreign Disciples" Learn To Make Hand-Made Cloth Shoes And Feel The World Of Cloth

Holding the sole in one hand, holding a needle in the other hand, threading the needle and thread back and forth... Recently, under the guidance of Zhang Qiqi, a craftsman of thousand floor cloth shoes, Abdullah, a young man from Yemen, dressed in an apron, learned how to make cloth shoes.

"For the first time, I learned that cloth can also be used to make shoes." Abdullah is good at fluent Chinese. When interviewed, he said frankly that the cloth he usually touches is mainly used to make clothes, while cloth shoes are very special, "with a very good sense of foot".

Under the guidance of Zhang Qiqi, Abdullah tried to fit the sole. Nape cyanine photography

Abdullah is a college student majoring in international business at Zhejiang Yuexiu Foreign Studies University. His little grandfather and father are both engaged in textile foreign trade business in Shaoxing. Influenced, he plans to join the textile industry after graduation, achieving the entrepreneurial dream of three generations of the family.

Thousands of years ago, the manufacturing process of thousand layer sole cloth shoes. The small cloth shoes are warm in winter and breathable in summer, which are in the pockets of many Chinese people. Zhang Qiqi was born in the Shaoxing cloth shoes family. His ancestors have inherited this old craft for hundreds of years. Knowing that Zhang Qiqi, who is disabled in lower limbs, realized his "dream of cloth shoes" by starting his own business, Abdullah was deeply encouraged to learn from her.

Cutting, edging, bottoming, last... more than 60 square meters of entrepreneurial studio, there are more than 10 processes of cloth shoe production. After putting on the apron, Abdullah began to learn how to make cloth shoes. He said, "We have prepared paste, awl, twine, eagle nose pliers, scissors and other tools. It looks like a pair of ordinary thousand ply sole cloth shoes, but actually contains very sophisticated manufacturing skills."

The reason why cloth shoes are so popular is that they are made of thousands of layers of soles. Zhang Qiqi said that the raw material of Qianlidi is pure cotton white cloth. The layers of cotton cloth are pasted with homemade paste. The superposition of dozens of layers of cotton cloth is vividly called "Qianlidi".

Nano sole is the key to sole production. Because the soles are thick, it is not easy to pierce them with a needle. You need to drill holes evenly distributed on the soles with an awl first. Later, Abdullah stretched the twine along the needle head, passed through the needle hole, and incorporated the twine into the sole needle by needle.

In the last part, Abdullah put two last heads into the front and rear ends of the cloth shoe, squeezed the last last in the middle of the shoe, and gently knocked with a hammer to make the last head and the inside of the cloth shoe "seamlessly connect". Finally, use eagle nose pliers to level the upper, so as to achieve the ideal effect of a smooth and flat upper.

"It seems simple to fit the bottom and last, but it actually requires ingenuity and a high degree of concentration." After the production experience, Abdullah harvested a unique pair of cloth shoes, and he couldn't wait to try them on. "The cloth shoes are very soft, and all stitches have condensed the efforts of the craftsmen."

Abdullah visited China's textile city market to learn about clothing fabrics such as horse dress. Nape cyanine photography

At present, as the new Chinese style and new national style continue to become popular, traditional handicrafts also usher in new opportunities. Inheritors and entrepreneurs of intangible cultural heritage, including Zhang Qiqi, continue to explore new ways to integrate classic skills with modern design, attracting consumers' attention.

Peking Opera facial makeup, modern simple flowers... On the display shelf on the other side of Zhang Qiqi's entrepreneurship studio, the patterns of thousand ply cloth shoes are distinctive. Zhang Qiqi took down a pair of improved raised head shoes from the shelf. The pure white cloth shoes were embroidered with white magnolia patterns, which were elegant and fresh. She told Abdullah, "This is the best model in the first half of this year. More than 3000 pairs of shoes were sold, which is especially suitable for matching with horse dress and hanfu, and can block the skirt."

Abdullah was pleasantly surprised by the new tricks of the old craftsmanship. "Innovation should be in line with the market trend, and old craftsmanship also has a new spring." Abdullah said happily that only through innovative design can pieces of cloth become clothes, pants, curtains, cloth shoes and other products, and go to the domestic and overseas markets.

For more than 30 years, Abdullah's little grandfather and father have come to Shaoxing to start their own businesses, and "overseas shopping" China's textile market has sold Chinese fabrics all over the world. Abdullah said that in the past, they mainly sold cloth by traditional water transportation. "Now, I hope to establish my own brand through e-commerce platform, and promote textiles through online stores and live broadcast."

Abdullah introduced handmade cloth shoes to netizens in front of the live broadcast. Nape cyanine photography

Turn on the fill light, adjust the angle of the bracket, set up the live broadcast equipment, show the details of the cloth shoes... In front of the camera, after Zhang Qiqi's call, Abdullah held a variety of cloth shoes, opening the first live broadcast "with goods" in his life. From the nervousness in front of the camera at first to the ease after entering the state, Abdullah has gained a lot. "In the camera, we must be sincere, capture the excitement of netizens, and show more details, even wear them to netizens."

A stitch brings out the life of cloth shoes, and a piece of fabric sets up a communication bridge. Abdullah said that from a pair of handmade thousand ply sole cloth shoes, he saw the possibility of integration of tradition and modernity, and witnessed the vigorous vitality of cloth pieces. "In the future, I also hope to follow the footsteps of the elders and integrate new ideas and creativity into the textile industry, so that more people in the world can feel the charm of Chinese cloth."

(Source: China News Network)