by Ben O'Hara-Byrne
Sunday was one of those beautiful sunny March days in Beijing that would have most Canadians outdoors and celebrating the end of another bitter winter… Here, things were little more subdued but there was still a big crowd out and about at the city’s newest and hippest art district called 798.
After wandering from gallery to gallery (I admit I don’t know much about art and even less about Chinese art for now), I finally stumbled upon an art form I do know something about (shoes) and it happened to be at 798’s trendiest gift shop.
Sitting on proud display among a variety of other retro Chinese items were pairs of Huili Warrior sneakers.
An old Chinese sneaker brand walks the comeback trail.
Now these were China’s original cool and highly coveted running shoe, so much so that a Chinese graphic designer has now devoted an entire book to the must-have footwear of the 1970s-80s in the Middle Kingdom.
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Here’s an excerpt from Shumeng Ye’s Book of Warriors (I haven’t spotted the book (only 420 were published) but apparently each one comes with a free pair of sneakers).
During the 1970s, Warrior (回力) brand sneakers were the hottest shoes in China — its bright, clean design was a sharp contrast to the drab homogeneity of communist China. Continuing into the 1980s, the shoe remained a status symbol for Chinese teenagers who were well-off enough to don a pair of famous Warriors.
But as China opened up economically, so did the marketplace for sneaker brands. While the 50-year-old Warrior name was still well known in China, it was no longer well known as one of the premiere Chinese brands. Instead, Warrior shoes became the shoe of the working class — worn by poor construction workers, elderly women and rural citizens looking for a pair of cheap, durable shoes — not an expensive brand name (and mark-up).
Well, all that is old is new again and Huili Warriors are suddenly being spotted on the feet of young Beijing hipsters eager to turn their backs on the more expensive Western brands they’ve been brought up with. Even so, they’re still inexpensive here at roughly $12 a pair, for now at least (they apparently sell for $50-$60 in Europe).
In the past months, Chinese leaders have repeated again and again that the country needs a nation of scrupulous savers to open up their wallets and create a vibrant domestic consumer economy to offset slumping Chinese exports.
The country may have a long way to go on that front, but signs that a combination of nostalgia, counter-culture appeal and low cost (not unlike what fuelled the return of so many brands in North America over the years, such as Converse All-Stars) are reviving Warriors is a sign of how much China’s consumer culture has evolved already.
Yes, I did buy a pair. No, they’re not very comfortable and no, I haven’t worn them outdoors — I’m no hip teenager after all.
Ben is Global National's Asia correspondent. He is based in Beijing.
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