Kenli tiger-head shoes making technique

Shandong
🎧  Listen to Introduction

Tiger-head shoes are a kind of traditional folk handmade children's shoes. Because the toe of the shoe looks like a tiger head, it is called tiger-head shoes. It has both practical value and ornamental value. At the same time, it is also a mascot. People give it the function of exorcising ghosts and warding off evil spirits. Kenli County, Dongying City, is located at the mouth of the Yellow River. It is an ancient and young fertile land nurtured by the mother river for millions of years. It is the central part of the Yellow River Delta. In 2010, the Development Plan of the High-Efficiency Ecological Economic Zone of the Yellow River Delta was approved by the State Council. The development of the Yellow River Delta has been elevated to a national strategy. Kenli County will become the main battlefield for development and construction. Kenli County has a long history and rich cultural heritage. It is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Kenli County has had residents since the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Influenced by traditional culture, many traditional folk handicrafts are widely circulated here, and tiger-head shoe making is one of them. Tiger-head shoes have a long history. It is said that during the Qin and Han Dynasties, the surrounding areas of Kenli belonged to the territory of Qi State. Due to the war, a large number of soldiers and horses died, and many wild beasts devoured their corpses. Over time, these wild beasts posed a threat to the lives of ordinary people. Children were often attacked by wild beasts. In order to curb this phenomenon, people embroidered tiger head patterns on children's shoes and hats. Because the tiger is the king of beasts, the tiger's might is used to deter evil beasts. Over time, it has become a custom that continues to this day. There are many beautiful legends about tiger-head shoes, which imply people's yearning for a better life and their ardent expectations for the healthy growth of their children. At present, Cui Guihua's tiger-head shoes, based on the inheritance of the traditional skills of the old generation, use modern scientific and technological means, computer synthesis technology, and boldly modify and innovate the old production process and craftsmanship, achieving very good results, which can better reflect the might and realism of the tiger. In addition, the embroidery of the characteristic scenery of the Yellow River Estuary makes it a perfect work of art. Through decades of efforts, it has a certain production scale, formed its own industry, registered trademarks for its products, and marketed its products. Its products are sold well in Beijing, Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Northeast China and other places. The inheritor Cui Guihua has formed her own unique tiger-head shoe production style through continuous research and innovation, which has been recognized by consumers and all walks of life. In 2006, she won the first prize in the Kenli County Folk Handicraft Competition; in 2009 and 2010, her products were displayed in the county cultural center, and were interviewed and reported by Dongying TV and Dongying Newspaper as a model of promoting national culture and taking the lead in getting rich. Tiger-head shoes have been passed down to this day and have continued to thrive, fully reflecting the continuous continuation and prosperity of the long-standing culture of the Chinese nation, and reflecting the wisdom and good yearning for life of the working people.

Intangible culture related to the heritage

China tourist attractions related to the heritage