My hometown, Xiaolin, is famous for its winter shoes in China. In the 1980s and 1990s, many locals started making shoes to earn a living. Typically, men handled the heavy tasks like cutting and pressing, while women took on the more skilled work like sewing and shaping. My family was no different.

The winter shoe's upper consists of three layers: the outer layer is made from corduroy, the middle from cotton wadding, and the inner lining from cotton fabric. The soles are crafted using bamboo shoot shells and recycled materials from worn-out sheets, shirts, or pants. These shoes were popular in winter for being both affordable and warm. Creating the soles required significant effort—pressing the bamboo and fabric together, followed by intricate needlework to make them durable and patterned. However, young people, myself included, didn’t like them because they seemed outdated.

Today, making water shoes requires far less manual labor. Machines handle most of the work—a mold machine shapes the soles, and high-speed sewing machines assemble the uppers. Materials are easier to source, and with advanced machinery, the quality is much more consistent. Water shoes now come in various designs and prints, which people love.

Deep down, I am grateful to my parents and to those once "ugly" and outdated winter shoes. They provided for our family. Today, they don’t seem ugly at all. I’m proud to wear them, as they bring back memories of my childhood. Though we were poor, those memories are sweet.