Stepping into a new career

Benefiting more

In June 2019, the Ruyang county government pooled together 3.6 million yuan ($517,320) for poverty alleviation and launched a cloth-shoe cultural and industrial park. Duan then set up a center for poverty alleviation in the park and was charged with the responsibility of helping villagers increase income by making cloth shoes.

He says he was more than ready to oblige.

"I have a strong personal interest in handmade cloth shoes and would love to share the art with more people," he says. "I also feel the need to pass on my inheritance."

To his surprise, many of the households in the area used to have a tradition of making cloth shoes and did not require much training in terms of technical skills. "With some guidance and standardization, they can produce high-quality products," he says.

To date, he has reached out to more than 1,000 households in the surrounding villages.

Zhao Rulai from Gaozhuang village learned to make a pair of shoe soles in a day after receiving Duan's training. The skill gives her an extra income of more than 1,500 yuan a month.

"It was very nice of him to enable us old women to make money at home," says Zhao, now in her 60s. "I had to return the favor with meticulous work."

With the expanded production capacity, annual sales of Duan-style cloth shoes reached 10,000 pairs, retrieving a value of 2.4 million yuan.

In 2020, Duan-style cloth shoes were named an intangible cultural heritage of Luoyang and his workshop started a partnership with the intangible cultural heritage study and training program run by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Together they have refined the cloth-shoe production process through greater division of labor. Some workers are responsible for repairing the soles of the shoes, while others embroider the shoe tops.

"This arrangement not only saves business costs, but also provides a convenient way for local villagers to earn additional income during their spare time," he says.

Recently, Duan's workshop was selected as one of 66 exemplary cases supporting rural vitalization by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the National Rural Revitalization Administration.

The accolades have given Duan more faith and enthusiasm to carry on his cause.