Putian is known as the "Shoe Capital of China". Licheng District (the “District”) is home to a major cluster of footwear enterprises, serving as both a key footwear manufacturing base in China and a designated production hub for renowned international sports shoes. Thanks to its footwear industry, the District has been recognised as a national demonstration area for the "Sanpin" strategy (i.e. expanding product categories, enhancing quality and developing brands), as well as a pilot county (district) within the provincial key industry chain. In addition, the sports and leisure footwear industry has been selected as a signature industrial cluster of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Fujian Province, and "Licheng District’s strong performance in brand cultivation and technological innovation to promote the transformation and upgrading of the footwear industry" has been included as a model case for national efforts to optimise the industrial business environment in 2024.
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Licheng District has thoroughly studied and implemented the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), as well as the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and has worked hard to revitalise the industry. The District has focused on the goal of perfecting shoemaking, making full use of its industrial foundation, unique features and strengths to promote the transformation and upgrading of the footwear industry, enhance quality and efficiency, and actively cultivate a number of well-known products, brands and enterprises in Licheng. These efforts have helped to strengthen Licheng’s signature industry and drive the high-quality development of the footwear sector.
Focus on improving service efficiency and optimising the business environment
The business environment reflects both productivity and competitiveness. To foster a favourable business climate, Licheng District has adhered to a mechanism that links district leadership with key enterprises, fully implementing the model of "rapid response to corporate calls". The District conducts regular visits to service enterprises, promotes and implements the 12 measures from eight provincial departments to support the high-quality development of Putian’s footwear industry, the 11 district-level measures to support talent development in the footwear sector, and other corporate support policies, helping to coordinate early solutions to emerging issues. In 2024, the District coordinated and resolved over 100 corporate development-related issues, including land use, employment, permit processing and financing guarantees.
The District also places strong emphasis on the role of the district footwear association and has established a policy group of industry-chain experts. This group comprises professors from Putian University, the dean of Meizhouwan Vocational Technology College, professionals from enterprise consulting service firms and entrepreneurs, all working together to provide comprehensive decision-making support for industrial development. They conduct targeted diagnostics for enterprises and help coordinate and resolve issues such as plant renovation and expansion, rent reduction and exemption. The District has provided RMB54 million in funding to support the alignment of corporate supply and demand.
The District has organised enterprises to participate in investment promotion activities through platforms such as the Putian Marathon Exhibition, the Licheng Shoes Summer Exhibition, the 2024 China Brand Day event, and the Putian Footwear Trading Exhibition, in order to enhance market influence. The District has also made full use of industry associations, chambers of commerce in other regions, and other platforms to maximise investment promotion resources. In 2024, it conducted six investment promotion visits to cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, involving a total of 24 projects. Recently, the "China Shoe Capital International Trading Port" project has entered the planning stage, with a total investment of RMB4.5 billion. The project aims to establish a new brand development hub that integrates brand marketing, R&D and design, personalised customisation, lean production lines, e-commerce and digital service providers, warehousing and logistics, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), as well as sightseeing and tourism.
Focus on industry quality improvement to strengthen development momentum
Licheng District has consistently focused on strengthening leading enterprises, refining development and service lists, and supporting key companies such as Putian Xinlong Shoes Co., Ltd. and Fujian Xiefeng Footwear Co., Ltd. in their efforts to scale up and grow stronger. The District has established a technology research institute for the new functional material industry to carry out key technological research in collaboration with leading enterprises such as Putian Baihe Shoe Industry Co., Ltd. and Shuangchi Industry Stock Co., Ltd. To support the expansion and strengthening of the shoe and apparel industry, Licheng District has implemented the "Multiplication Plan". Key shoe companies are expected to see overall improvement in 2024, with an average order increase of 20% and 46 companies projected to achieve an output value exceeding RMB100 million.
The District has also rolled out an action plan to cultivate specialised, high-end and innovation-driven SMEs that offer distinctive products or services, aiming to promote high-quality development. It has reinforced the multi-tier development and management of high-quality SMEs and established a platform for industrial-financial integration. The District has encouraged Jihua Group to develop a strategic cooperation with Xiehe Shoemaking, organised 15 enterprises to participate in financial empowerment activities for specialised, high-end and innovation-driven SMEs, and added four provincial-level innovative SMEs along with seven specialised, high-end and innovation-driven SMEs.
The District prioritises the development of major projects as a key driver to enhance and expand the industry and accelerate the growth of industrial agglomeration. It has concentrated land, funding, talent and other resources on key projects and industrial parks, effectively supporting the progress of the Shoe Material Processing Cluster, Huangshi Small and Micro Industrial Park, and others. The District has launched a three-year campaign to standardise the construction of industrial parks, promoting green and high-quality development, and has accelerated the development of platforms such as the Huangshi Small and Micro Industrial Park, the Shoe Material Processing Cluster and the Wancun Science and Technology City. To date, the Huangshi Small and Micro Industrial Park has attracted four enterprises, including Jierui Rubber and Plastic and Hongchi Shoes Industry, all of which have commenced construction. The Shoe Material Processing Cluster has attracted eight enterprises, including Xinchang Shoes Materials and Xinshan Clothing – one has begun production, three have topped off their main buildings, and four are under construction. Meanwhile, the Wancun Science and Technology City is currently in the stages of design and investment planning. In addition, renovation is underway for ten projects in the Wancun Industrial Park, including Kamao Sports. The main buildings of two projects – Well Shoes and Gangtong Industry and Trade – have been completed, while Yuanhang Clothing has commenced production.
Focus on innovation to boost momentum and revitalise industry
Innovation is the key driving force behind the high-end, intelligent and green transformation of traditional industries. Licheng District has capitalised on the opportunity presented by large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in initiatives, fully leveraging special policies to encourage and guide more than 100 enterprises in adopting automated production, thereby improving production efficiency. Last year, a total of 20 provincial and municipal key footwear technological transformation projects were submitted, all of which have now commenced.
The District places strong emphasis on promoting intelligent and digital transformation, implementing initiatives such as the digital commissioner campaign, the "digital enlightenment" campaign and the digital diagnosis campaign. It has hosted conferences to support the digital transformation of industrial enterprises and established the "Licheng District Footwear Digital Transformation and Development Service Centre", completing comprehensive assessments of enterprise digitalisation levels. The District has also collaborated with service providers including China Unicom and China Mobile to deliver digital services to footwear companies and conduct digital and intelligent transformation diagnostics for 38 enterprises. Additionally, 14 footwear companies have been matched with digital specialists, and 16 have been included in the industrial digital transformation project.
Licheng District is working actively to align itself with the development landscape of "Putian Shoes", fully leveraging the regional brand effect and supporting footwear companies in expanding product categories, optimising production methods and innovating marketing approaches. The District is also focused on strengthening the application of big data analysis on the consumer side, identifying brand positioning and developing standout brand products. For example, Onemix holds the highest market share in cushioned running shoes, driven by its use of innovative new materials. CLORTS outdoor hiking shoes enjoy a 60% market share, while IRUNSVAN running shoes and Ronson marathon running shoes are gaining popularity on e-commerce platforms such as Dewu. Since last year, several branded footwear companies have successfully grown their revenue.
ent, there are more than 1,000 footwear and supporting enterprises in the region, including 127 footwear and apparel enterprises above the designated scale. Additionally, the region is home to more than 20 independent brands, 14 enterprises authorised to use the "Putian Shoes" collective trademark, and nine enterprises included in the city’s footwear brand cultivation directory. The "Shuangchi Shoes Industry Large-scale Personalised Customisation" and the "Shuangyuan Shoes Industry Intelligent Lean Workshop" were selected as typical use cases of "digital Sanpin" (i.e. expanding product categories, enhancing quality and developing brands) in 2024. Moreover, Shuangchi and Xiehe were included in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s 2024 promotion catalogue of products for the elderly, as well as in Fujian Province’s catalogue of elderly-friendly products for the same year. In addition, Shuangchi and Onemix were included in the list of new textile and footwear products in Fujian Province in 2024, and seven products from three companies, including Yongsheng, were recognised as famous products in Putian City.
Source: Meizhou Daily
