Since 1990, more than 100,000 young workers who were called “Yangxin Shoemakers” had worked in footwear companies in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. Yangxin County is located in The City of Huangshi, southeast of Hubei Province. Currently there are more than 130 footwear companies in Yangxin, the owners of these footwear companies are the returning migrant shoemakers. [Source: China Leather Association - Ran Fulin 11/3/2022]
They are the second generation of “Yangxin Shoemaker” (Yángxīn Xiàn is a county of China, located in Hubei province and administered by Huangshi Prefecture) and have created their own business in their hometown.
Compared with their old generation of “Yangxin shoemakers”, they work even more hard work, and more competitive, with their shoemaking skills and working experiences, they returned to their hometown to start their own businesses.
Mr. Ding Shixi, shoemaking factory owner, told the reporter of Jimu News that he went to Wenzhou to work with his fellow villagers in 1999 when he graduated from junior high school, that is the first time away from home, now he came back setup his own shoemaking manufacturer, and can make 10,000 pairs of shoes every day, which are sold all over the country through the e-commerce platform.
“In the 1990s, there were 100,000 Yangxin people working in Wenzhou’s shoe companies. They worked hard and often worked 15 hours a day, some of them were promoted as senior manager and won the high appreciation from their boss.”
Mr. Ding Shixi took the road of business in 2007, and opening a shoemaking factory in Wenzhou, and achieved success by selling shoes online. In 2014 he also opened a footwear factory in his home town, hoping to reward the support from local people.
Like Mr. Ding Shixi, General Manager of Kexing factory, Ming Ruixing also owns a shoemaking factory and R & D team. In 2012 he decided returning home to set up his own business, opening a shoemaking manufacturer. Ming Ruixing said one reason is the investment environment of Yangxin attracts him; the other is desire to pay back the hometown with investment. We have capacity to produce 80,000 pairs of safety shoes a month, and more than 200 kinks of products, such as hunting shoes that can resist snake bites and knives, and firemen shoes that can resist acid and alkali chemicals. 90% of products sold to oversee markets.
Yang Xin County Party Secretary Wan Ding said previously, we sent our young people to Wenzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and other places of coastal area for earning livelihood，due to lack of job opportunities. Many Yangxin people have to leave their homes and go to other places, leaving left-behind children, women and the elderly at home. Now instead send them outside we manage keep them working on home town. We are planning to build a footwear industry cluster, and strive to make Yangxin become the ‘shoes capital of central China. By 2025, the output value of Yangxin shoes industry will reach 10 billion yuan, said Wan Din.
