Strategy and technology takes handcraft forward

JUDGE a man first by his shoes – so goes an old Beijing saying. It shows how highly the people of Beijing valued their shoes in the old days.

Cai Wenke, chief shoemaker of Neiliansheng, a time-honoured Chinese brand best known for its “thousand-layered” shoes made of cotton, thinks many people in Beijing still value their shoes. He seeks to fulfil their need for good shoes, having devoted more than a decade already to mastering the fine craft of shoemaking.