Traditional Tibetan boots

With 600-year history of the tradition, Gyang Kya village in Rebgong is known as the “village of Tibetan boots.” For generations, locals have earned their living by crafting Tibetan boots, favored for their lightweight, warm, moisture-proof, and durable qualities. Due to industrialization and modernization, the handmade boots are being slowly replaced by manufactured shoes. The younger generation of the village no longer inherits the boot making tradition.

In 2015, fifty families in the village raised 5,000,000 RMB (over $750,000 US) to establish the Rebgong Gyang Kya Tibetan Development Co., Ltd., the first Tibetan boot company in Rebgong. Its mission is reduce the unemployment rate, economically empower the locals, and preserve the tradition. The master artisans design and develop products with unique cultural and local characteristics.

ID: ETAC_2016_06-18_DD_0335