"Virtue is as important as good skills. A person without virtue can't make good shoes," He asserted. He has always advised his apprentices to have strong service awareness and build a good reputation.

Ren will never forget the first time he measured a customer's feet to make shoes. Although He taught him patiently, it still didn't go smoothly. Ren made the shoes four times before they perfectly fit the customer's feet.

"Master He taught us how to measure customers' feet correctly, and that we should put the customer's feelings in the first place, and remember the customers' foot shape clearly," Ren said.

One day, a 70-year-old man came to the store to order a pair of hand-made cloth shoes. Seeing Ren was so young, the elderly was a little disconcerted. One month later, Ren handed the finished shoes to him. The old man put them on, walked around the store and gave him a thumbs up.

"Master He is very strict with us at work," said Cai, another apprentice of He. Once, Cai received a phone call while sewing a sole, leaving the stitching awl inside the shoe. As soon as He saw this, he criticized Cai harshly. Since then, Cai has been mindful of working with respect.

He's three apprentices have all become excellent shoemakers. But in their eyes, there is still a long way to go before catching up with their master, both in skills and in career reputation.

Future

"It is now the best time for Neiliansheng's development," said Cheng Laixiang, General Manager of Neiliansheng. In 2000, the company's sales revenue was no more than 15 million yuan ($2.37 million). After the company upgraded its operation model in 2001, the figure surged to 84.89 million yuan ($13.40 million) and is expected to surpass 100 million yuan ($15.79 million) this year.

The key to the revitalization of the time-honored brand lies in its continuous innovation.

The company strives to expand its target consumers. Before, it only made men's shoes, but now it makes shoes for women and children. It used to offer only one style of shoes, and all of them were in black. But it now makes shoes with more than 3,000 different styles. Also, it has explored online sales to meet the demand of young people.

"Now our customers include people of all ages. Our research and development cover infants' shoes, children's shoes, students' shoes, seniors' shoes and so on," said He.

Today, anyone can enjoy the company's customized services. In September 2009, the company's head office in Dashilar of Beijing officially launched this service to the public. The customer can choose his or her favorite fabric and pattern from dozens of options. The customers' foot sizes and preferences will be saved in the computer so that they need not to come to the office again for measurement the next time he orders shoes.

The introduction of modern management has brought a fresh start to Neiliansheng. However, the classic brand has never changed its tradition of making cloth shoes.

The company has put great importance on cultivating a team of inheritors to learn this cultural heritage. Mentors oversee every step of the shoemaking process to ensure the tradition is carried on. Furthermore, the company emphasizes brand-name quality over quick profits. Many overseas Beijingers will buy a pair of cloth shoes by Neiliansheng when they return to China.

Hopefully, by following in the footsteps of traditional shoemakers like He, this cultural heritage will be passed on for generations, said Cheng.

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