Footwear industry in Putian, SE China's Fujian marches toward high-quality development

In Putian city, southeast China's Fujian Province, shoemaking is not only a way of making a living but also a time-honored craft that has been handed down through generations.

In 2023, the Putian footwear and clothing industry reached an output value of around 140 billion yuan ($19.28 billion). The city, once renowned as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) shoemaking base, has lived up to its reputation with its mature technology and well-established industrial chains.

In Putian, over 1.6 billion pairs of shoes are manufactured each year. The city is home to over 4,000 footwear and clothing enterprises, with 423 companies above designated size. Over 500,000 people are engaged in the industry in the city.

In the last century, Putian's shoemaking industry became a major player in OEM production due to its technological and equipment advantages. Putian remained at the cutting edge of shoemaking technology due to the continuous influx of orders from international brands. Over time, it has evolved into an industrial cluster with world-class productivity and scale.

Shoe leather samples undergo testing at the testing center of Fujian Zhongyu New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. in Putian city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Lin Ying)

Zhu Huijuan, quality manager of Fujian Zhongyu New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., explained that before being used in sports shoes, the shoe leather undergoes over 200 chemical safety performance tests and over 80 physical performance tests.

Records show Putian's footwear and clothing industry boasts 53 national high-tech enterprises, one national enterprise technology center, two national industrial design centers, and 21 provincial-level enterprises that utilize special and sophisticated technologies to produce innovative and unique products. Furthermore, this industry has participated in the development of 27 national footwear standards.

Shoes manufactured in Putian go beyond national standards with their outstanding folding resistance, capable of enduring 50,000 continuous folds without any separation between the upper and sole. Moreover, they demonstrate numerous performance qualities that greatly surpass national benchmarks.

The new materials industry, which constantly pursues technological breakthroughs, is a driving force in the development of the footwear industry in Putian. (Photo/Chen Bin)

In Putian, there are textile factories that can turn 125 grams of used clothes into a pair of shoe uppers and enterprises that utilize supercritical foam materials to create shoe soles that are high-performance, eco-friendly, and lightweight. These soles save around 35 percent on materials, and improve performance by 30 percent.

Putian's footwear industry owes its success to its cutting-edge research and development (R&D) capabilities.

"There is a new materials enterprise with a core R&D team made up entirely of high school graduates. These people have developed cutting-edge material technologies that have left even textile professors in awe," said Li Zhenhai, deputy mayor of Xianyou county, Putian.

In the 5G-connected factory of Fujian Kunyingqi New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., every piece of woven shoe upper has its own "identity card." (People's Daily Online/Chen Yongzheng)

According to Li, artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant advantages in collecting and analyzing consumer habits. In fact, nearly 70 enterprises above designated size in Xianyou county have been utilizing AI in their design processes for several years.

More than 10 years ago, Guo Jing founded Putian Qingchunzhijia Sports Goods Co., Ltd. Since then, the company's brands have flourished with over 100 patents, establishing themselves in the mid-to-high-end market.

"We stamp every pair of shoes with the mark 'Made in PT China,' ensuring that consumers are aware of their origin in Putian," Guo said.

Photo shows a digital economy industry park in Xianyou county, Putian city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Zhang Li)

In Xianyou county, the government has provided robust support for the footwear industry in terms of e-commerce channels. Even before the rise of live-streaming sales, the local government had introduced several e-commerce bases.

Li said the introduction of e-commerce platforms has brought reliable partners to the local footwear industry and taught companies how to leverage e-commerce effectively. With the support of e-commerce, some shoe companies in the county can sell 10,000 pairs of shoes in a single day.