Shougongzhixiejiyi
01 · Historical Records
Tangchang was established in the Tang dynasty and was once among the most prosperous areas of the Chengdu region. The western-Sichuan handmade cloth-shoe making craft, represented by Tangchang cloth shoes, originated in the Ming dynasty and flourished in the late Qing; it has been transmitted mainly through families and the master-apprentice relationship.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Tangchang cloth-shoe making craft is one of China's traditional handmade shoemaking crafts; historically distributed mainly across the western-Sichuan plain, it is now centered on Tangchang Subdistrict of Pidu District, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, radiating to surrounding villages and communities. Flourishing trade, convenient water and land transport, and vigorous market demand created the historical scene in Tangchang of "elm shade meeting shade, mulberry and hemp gradually thriving," and gave rise to well-known products such as "Chongning knives and scissors" and "Chongning thread," laying a good foundation for the spread and development of the handmade cloth-shoe industry. Through more than a century of development, the traditional Tangchang cloth-shoe making craft has upheld the basic requirements of western-Sichuan brushed-edge cloth shoes; its core skill is embodied in thirty-two process steps, including preparing materials, shrinking the cloth, mixing paste, forming the cloth shell, sunning the cloth shell, laying out (drawing the shoe pattern), cutting the layout, cutting the shapes, wrapping the insole board (binding the insole edge), mounting the lining and face, cutting the upper, attaching the binding strip, joining the binding strip, pressing the binding strip, folding the vamp, the three-turn mouth, standard coding, stitching the sole, trimming the edge, turning the edge, making the inner sole, soaking the mouth (adding a stiffener at the shoe front), hammering the sole, lasting the shoe, last-shaping, oven-drying, sanding the edge (fuzzing the sole edge), cutting the edge, gluing the edge, gluing the heel, removing the last, and final inspection. To this day the craft still uses manual methods to mix paste and make the stiffened shell, and in summer uses natural sunlight to air-dry; following the principles of breathability, comfort, and environmental friendliness, it uses entirely natural materials such as pure cotton and pure wool; the techniques of mounting lining and face, the three-turn mouth, stacked heel, soaking the mouth, inner lasting, sanding the edge, and cutting the edge are unique to it. The craft is closely tied to people's daily lives and plays a positive role in driving home-based employment and supporting the region's inclusive economic development.
Process Records
Through more than a century of development, the traditional Tangchang cloth-shoe making craft has upheld the basic requirements of western-Sichuan brushed-edge cloth shoes; its core skill is embodied in thirty-two process steps, including preparing materials, shrinking the cloth, mixing paste, forming the cloth shell, sunning the cloth shell, laying out (drawing the shoe pattern), cutting the layout, cutting the shapes, wrapping the insole board (binding the insole edge), mounting the lining and face, cutting the upper, attaching the binding strip, joining the binding strip, pressing the binding strip, folding the vamp, the three-turn mouth, standard coding, stitching the sole, trimming the edge, turning the edge, making the inner sole, soaking the mouth (adding a stiffener at the shoe front), hammering the sole, lasting the shoe, last-shaping, oven-drying, sanding the edge (fuzzing the sole edge), cutting the edge, gluing the edge, gluing the heel, removing the last, and final inspection.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Tangchang cloth shoes are rooted in the Tangchang Subdistrict area of Pidu District; the art began in the Ming and prospered by late Qing, passed down through both family and master-apprentice lines. The shoe's face edge is not cut clean but must be fuzzed with sanding to draw out fine nap — called the brushed edge in the trade; the three-turn mouth, stacked heel, soaking the mouth, and inner lasting are moves few others possess, and the full set of thirty-two process steps is complete without omission. The artisans make their own reaching rulers, scrapers, and cutting knives; today the transmission rests with Master Lai Shufang's studio and the Zhanqi Village Rural Eighteen Workshops.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Neilianshengqiancengdibuxie Making Craftsmanship · Shougongzhixiejiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Building on a summation of practical experience, the inheritor skillfully applied self-made tools such as the reaching ruler, scraper, and cutting knife, and improved fixtures such as the nap-raising wheel and the shoe-lasting baffle, raising both labor efficiency and product quality and keeping pace with the times. At present the item mainly uses the Tangchang Cloth Shoes Master Lai Shufang Studio, the Zhanqi Village Rural Eighteen Workshops, and the Tangchang Cloth Shoes Intangible-Heritage Exhibition Hall as its practice and transmission bases, actively carrying out craft training. The traditional Tangchang cloth-shoe making craft is the crystallization of the local people's wisdom and creativity; its unique brushed-edge technique is important material for studying the developmental thread of western-Sichuan handmade cloth-shoe craft, and holds certain historical, cultural, and scientific value for research into the development of China's handcrafts.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- He Kaiying 03-1373
- Xing Jun 04-1881
- Lai Shufang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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