During the 1970s,                The Ping Pong model since1976.                                                            By Huili (回力)brand sneakers were the hottest shoes in China — its bright, clean design a sharp contrast to the drab homogeneity of Communist China. Continuing into the 1980s, the shoe remained a status symbol for Chinese teenagers who were well-off enough to don a pair of famous Warrior models Huili.                                                    But as China opened up economically, so did the marketplace for sneaker brands. While the 50 year-old Huili name was still well-known in China, it was no longer well-known as one of the premier Chinese brands. Instead, Huili shoes became the shoe of the working class — worn by poor construction workers, elderly women and rural citizens looking for a pair of cheap, durable shoes,
not an expensive brand name (and mark-up).
Fascinated by this story, a graphic design student from China recently released a photography book which features people wearing Warriors in various areas of China. Each copy of “Book of Warriors” comes with a pair of Warriors models by Huili.
The author, Shumeng Ye, hopes to use the Huili brand “to tell the story behind the shoes and show a different side of China. Not the industrial and economical power, but the daily life of a country with its own distinctive sneaker culture.”

A pair of Huili shoes was certainly expensive in the 1960s, and was definitely trendy for young people at that time. This year the old Chinese brands to make their comeback.
Contact: huilifootwear@yahoo.fr