On average, nearly 80 pairs of Wuchuan slippers roll off the production line every second, which adds up to enough pairs each year to circle the Earth's equator more than three times. In Wuchuan, a county-level city administered by Zhanjiang City in Guangdong Province, plastic slippers have grown into a pillar industry, with an annual output of 2.5 billion pairs and an annual industrial output value of 8 billion yuan. Wuchuan slippers account for one-third of the Chinese market and are sold in more than 50 countries and regions. In Africa alone, they command a market share of over 90%, making them one of Guangdong's flagship products.

In 1971, Ou Yanqi, a native of Bopu Street in Wuchuan, led fellow villagers in setting up the first plastic slipper mold factory. In 1980, the first pair of Wuchuan plastic slippers officially rolled off the production line. What began as handmade production in small family workshops has, over more than four decades, evolved into a vast industrial cluster with more than 800 enterprises and 78,000 workers, transforming the slipper business into a major industry.

From EVA slides and PVC air-blown slippers to stylish clogs and indoor cotton slippers, Wuchuan slippers today span 10 major categories and more than 2,000 styles, backed by over 1,000 patents. They meet the footwear needs of the whole family across a wide range of settings. These products are exported to the United States, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and many African countries, and their annual export value accounts for more than 60% of Wuchuan's total exports, making Wuchuan slippers a bona fide global hit.

Rong Hairui, a post-2000s veteran and a student at Shenzhen University, has seized opportunities in cross-border e-commerce. Using AI to analyze overseas consumer trends, he identifies marketable styles and focuses on competitively priced EVA slides and clogs, with the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia as key target markets. In less than a year, Rong and his team exported 250,000 pairs of slippers, reaching consumers around the world, and sales revenue topped 3.5 million yuan.

To sustain the industry's momentum, Wuchuan has invested 300 million yuan in building the Footwear Industrial Base in northern Wuchuan, which covers 1,368 mu (about 91 hectares). So far, 28 enterprises in this base have completed smart upgrades, with AI-driven product selection, livestreaming sales, and cross-border e-commerce widely adopted across the sector.

年产25亿双，湛江吴川拖鞋全球行

平均每秒就有近80双吴川拖鞋下线，绕地球赤道能排3圈多！在湛江吴川，塑料拖鞋年产25亿双、年产值80亿元，不仅霸占全国三分之一的市场，更火遍全球50多个国家和地区，非洲市场占有率超90%，妥妥的“广货顶流”！

1971年，吴川博铺人欧衍琪带着乡亲，办起了第一家塑料鞋模具厂；1980年，第一双吴川塑料鞋正式下线。从家庭小作坊的手工制作，到如今800多家企业集聚、7.8万人从业的庞大产业集群，吴川用40多年，把“小拖鞋”做成了“大产业”。

从EVA凉拖、PVC吹气拖鞋，到时尚洞洞鞋、居家棉拖，今天的吴川拖鞋，有足足10大类、2000多个款式，专利破千项，能满足全家人、全场景的穿鞋需求；产品远销美、日、韩、沙特、泰国及非洲多国，年出口额占吴川全市出口总额60%以上，是名副其实的全球爆款。

“00后”退役军人、深圳大学学生容海瑞敏锐把握跨境电商发展机遇，运用AI技术分析海外消费潮流，精准筛选适销款式，主打高性价比的EVA凉拖、洞洞鞋，重点开拓美国、日本、韩国、沙特等海外市场。短短不到一年时间，容海瑞带领团队实现拖鞋出海25万双，全球已有25万人穿上吴川制造的拖鞋，年营收突破350万元。

为推动产业持续发展，吴川投入3亿元打造城北鞋业产业基地，总面积1368亩。目前，已有28家企业完成智能化改造，AI选款、直播带货、跨境电商全面铺开。

文 | 记者 余胜容 代方莹
图 | 受访者提供 吴川发布
译 | 郑奕玲
审 | 柯妃娟