Photo taken on January 9, 2026 shows Yang Bo checks the handmade shoes he has just made.

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Han Liang) news: On January 9, 2026, inside the Yang's Handmade Shoe Workshop located on Kelamayi East Street in Urumqi City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Yang Bo, the fifth-generation inheritor of handmade shoe craftsmanship, was fully absorbed in his work. "A single pair of handmade shoes requires more than 40 steps — from cutting the upper and stitching the edges to attaching the sole and baking— and takes five full days to complete," he explained. Gently running his hand over a piece of leather, Yang added, "We use Ili cowhide for the soles and premium cowhide for the uppers. This kind of leather is rich in oils and soft in texture. Only by sewing it entirely by hand can we make shoes that are truly comfortable to wear."

Photo taken on January 9, 2026 shows Yang Bo (left) and Yang Zexuan make handmade shoes in a shoe workshop.

Photo taken on January 9, 2026 shows Yang Zexuan makes leather carving.

When it comes to this craft, Yang has much to say. At the age of ten, he tried making a pair of shoes for his father. Though the stitching was uneven, his father treasured them dearly. The warmth hidden in those stitches helped Yang understand the deep emotional weight carried by handmade shoes and planted a seed in his heart — a seed of inheritance.

When he was young, Yang became a disciple of Ma Minghua, the fourth-generation inheritor of handmade shoemaking. The learning journey was fraught with hardships. His hands would turn red and raw from the cold during harsh winters, and cuts and scrapes from tools on his fingers were a common occurrence. His master was exacting in his demands for every single step of the process. To keep pace, Yang would get up at six each morning to practice relentlessly.

More than thirty years have slipped by, yet Yang still carries this craft forward. In 2022, the handmade shoemaking craft was officially inscribed on the sixth municipal list of intangible cultural heritage of Urumqi, and he was successively recognized as an inheritor at both the city and autonomous-region levels.

Photo taken on January 9, 2026 shows Yang Bo sorts out the shoe-making tools.

Photo taken on January 9, 2026 shows Yang Zexuan is engaged in the process of engraving dovetail grooves.

Today, Yang's workshop is no longer a one-man show. He has taken on many apprentices, including his son, Yang Zexuan. “When I was little, I would crouch beside the bench and watch Dad make shoes,” Yang Zexuan recalled. That childhood curiosity became the starting point of his own training. At first he made mistakes again and again, but day-after-day practice built up his patience and let him feel his way into every secret of the craft.

Honoring tradition doesn't mean standing still. Yang Zexuan trained separately in leather carving and urushi lacquer work, then wove both into shoemaking, elevating footwear from everyday necessity to artwork that carries traditional culture. The work of "leather-carved, lacquered handmade shoes" he developed with his father won a design contest during the 56th National Arts and Crafts Fair, which also has been collected by the Xinjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum. "Heritage isn't frozen," Yang Zexuan said. "Blend in other crafts and young people will see how malleable an old skill can be."

Among Yang Bo's many apprentices, Liu Jiakai and Mu Yuxuan are two of the youngest. They spend their winter and summer vacations learning the craft of handmade shoes. "It takes dozens of tools and a whole week to make one pair — it really tests your patience," said Liu. After two years of diligent practice, both of them can now complete a pair of round-toed, cloth-upper shoes with leather soles entirely on their own.

Photo taken on January 9, 2026 shows Yang Bo (left) and Yang Zexuan introduce handmade shoes via internet.

Photo taken on January 8, 2026 shows a pair of handmade shoes made by Yang Zexuan.

Today, their family studio is flooded with bespoke and collector orders. "People now prize uniqueness and quality; that's both an opportunity and a challenge for us," said Yang. "I will stay true to this craft and keep turning every pair of shoes into a one-of-a-kind work of art."

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