Diving gold sparks Wuchuan's global drive

In defending her women's 10-meter platform diving title at the just concluded 2024 Paris Olympics, China's Quan Hongchan, 17, not only hit the headlines again, but also popularized plastic clown fish slippers, a Chinese product she wore at the natatorium.

Business opportunities have since boomed for the plastic shoe manufacturers in Wuchuan, a county-level city under the administration of the coastal Zhanjiang city in Guangdong province, hometown of Quan where she is affectionately called Chan Bao or Baby Chan.

On social media, many netizens expressed a desire to buy the "champion-style" slippers Quan wore in Paris, with some even suggesting the footwear symbolizes Guangdong people's relaxed lifestyle. When the gold medalist returned to her Guangdong Experimental High School in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, in late August to share her joy and to teach the students her special water splash minimization technique, she wore the same pair of plastic slippers during her meetings with her teachers and schoolmates.

Yang Dilin, director of the Wuchuan Plastic Shoe Industry Association, urged shoemakers in Wuchuan to seize the "golden opportunities" to carry out technological innovation, bring in high-quality personnel to further enhance the industry and help the city achieve high-quality development in the future. "Footwear companies should get ready for future production expansion," he said.

Quan's performances are expected to spur sales of plastic slippers and help local plastic shoe factories attract more orders from home and abroad in the following months. According to Yang Jiewei, general manager of Quanxing Shoes Group (Guangdong) Co, the company's plastic shoe orders have increased by at least 10 percent after the Paris Olympics.

Yang's company, a major plastic shoe manufacturer in Wuchuan, produced more than 50 million pairs of plastic shoes with an output value of about 300 million yuan ($42.2 million) in 2023, with more than 60 percent from overseas sales.

Located in the southwestern part of Guangdong, Wuchuan, known as "the capital of plastic shoes", now boasts more than 400 plastic shoemakers, representing one-third of the country's total.

Plastic shoes, together with mooncakes and down jackets, have now become the three pillar industries in Wuchuan, playing important roles in Wuchuan and Zhanjiang's economic development.

Yang said Wuchuan can now produce more than 2.5 billion pairs of plastic shoes annually, achieving an annual shoe production of more than 8 billion yuan, accounting for nearly one-fourth of Wuchuan's GDP. "Wuchuan's plastic shoe products have now included 10 categories, over 200 varieties of more than 2,000 styles, including Eva fashion shoes, sandals, slippers, flip-flops, rain boots, casual shoes and orthopedic shoes," Yang said.

Wuchuan's plastic shoes are brightly colored and have a wide range of styles, attracting many consumers from home and abroad, he said, adding that plastic slippers, which were once considered tacky in childhood, have recently become fashionable. "Wuchuan, one of the country's three major plastic shoe production bases, has more than 100 independent brands, including four famous trademark brands of Guangdong provincial level and 20 of Zhanjiang city level," said Yang.

"In addition to domestic markets, the plastic shoes Wuchuan companies produce have been sold to more than 50 countries and regions in Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South America since 2003, as Wuchuan's plastic shoes come in an endless variety of styles and patterns, which can meet people's constantly changing aesthetic needs.

"And in recent years, local shoe manufacturers have been continuously expanding in the ASEAN markets as well."

The shoe industry in Wuchuan covers upstream, midstream and downstream segments, including raw material production, industrial design, mold development and manufacturing, ingredient processing, finished product production, logistics distribution and market transactions, making Wuchuan's slipper industry strong and competitive, he said.

Meanwhile, the division of labor in the shoe industry is relatively clear, which has driven the development of industries like mechanical equipment manufacturing, transportation, raw material wholesale, product retail and packaging, he said.

Wuchuan should grasp the golden opportunity to further consolidate its position as a major plastic shoe manufacturing base in the country by strengthening the industrial agglomeration effect and improving product quality and competitiveness, he said.

To increase sales, Yang urged the local industry to strengthen the construction of online sales channels and expand market coverage through the internet and e-commerce platforms.

Shoe companies should also be encouraged to participate in various shoe exhibitions both domestically and internationally to enhance the exposure of their products, while brightening brand awareness.

At the same time, shoe companies should also go all out to expand their presence in the global markets, especially the ASEAN markets, while consolidating the traditional markets in Africa and Central and South America in the following years, as the exports of plastic shoes, which constitute a pillar industry in Wuchuan, play a crucial role in the city's economic development, said Yang.

Shoe manufacturers should strictly control the quality of raw materials and establish a sound quality management system to ensure that every pair of plastic shoes meets high standards.

Yang also urged shoe manufacturers in the city to continue to increase their investment in research and development, actively introduce advanced production technologies and equipment, cultivate and attract excellent design talent, and strengthen cooperation with professional design institutions to deeply understand fashion trends and consumer needs, in order to continuously introduce novel and unique styles in the months to come.

To help Wuchuan increase plastic shoe exports, Zhanjiang Customs has continuously optimized the business environment at the import and export ports and helped local as well as foreign companies to solve their urgent and difficult problems in foreign trade sector.

According to Customs data, Wuchuan shoemakers sold footwear products valued at 96.6 million yuan to the rest of the world in the first seven months of this year, playing a big part in the city's overall economic development.

Insiders have forecast plastic shoes will have even brighter prospects because of the celebrity effect, when manufacturers could produce more fashionable products and further improve quality in the following years.

Li Yongsi contributed to this story.