If the Shoe Fits: Cobbler Lao Yu

Lao Yu has been crafting footwear for 30 years. He claims that if you hand him any pair of handmade shoes – no matter how fine or uniquely shaped – he can make you an almost identical copy.

I wore my first pair of leather shoes when I went to technical school. They were made from pig leather; no one wears pig leather nowadays. Even back then, that was very rare and really hard to get.

I started working when I was 18 at a state-run shoe factory, where I learned everything from design to production. I left in 1991, because the industry itself didn’t look very good. It made quite an impact in the factory. I was the vice-chief of the technical section. The factory got sort of chaotic after I quit.

I wanted to start my own business, but it didn’t go very well at the beginning. There wasn’t a lot of leather available and I didn’t have other workers to help. To make money, I could only sell shoes on consignment.

Shoes made from artificial leather feel terrible. They can’t be called leather shoes. It makes every part of me uncomfortable to wear that kind of shoe. It’s like a forgery.

When I was young, I dreamed about becoming a football player. I’m from the same school as Lu Jun (who refereed in the FIFA World Cup). We’ve played games together. Don’t know how he found a way to become a ref. But he’s in jail now (for accepting bribes).

The biggest pair of shoes I’ve ever made? Do you know the tallest person in China, Zhao Liang? He’s the second tallest in the world. He wears European size 56 (US size 20).

If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be handmade, stylish red-brown with shoe lacing.

I want to make shoes for leaders: Barack Obama, Hu Jintao.

Lao Yu Handmade Shoes
37 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District (6404 1406)
老余手工鞋店, 东城区鼓楼东大街37号

Photos: Judy Zhou