Diving gold sparks Wuchuan's global drive

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.