Fujian shoemakers find their feet

It is probably the worst of times and also the best of times in Fujian province.

Ding Jinhuang recently turned off a production line at his sneaker factory in Hui'an, a small town in Fujian, due to falling overseas orders. "I don't know when we can work on full capacity again. My wife is burning incense every day to pray for a recovery," Ding said.

But his fellow villager, Ding Shuibo, plans to hire 2,000 more workers this year as he has just started a new factory in Jinjiang, another town in Fujian. He even plans to open 800 to 1,000 new stores in the country's second- and third-tier cities this year.