Danwei has a post  about Ye Shumeng, a Chinese born graphic designer now living in Helsinki, who has produced a book of photography about Warrior Sneakers — an iconic Chinese-designed sneaker from the 1970s.

From Book of Warriors:

Three decades later, these sneakers are still well known among the Chinese people but they are no longer objects of desire. They are used by the elderly and by poor villagers doing physical labour at construction sites and pulling rickshaws. They are used by Chinese working class heroes. Today’s Chinese youngsters dream of Nike or Converse.

Danwei also reports there’s an ongoing resurgence of old Chinese sneakers styles — in Europe. One example is Feiyue (Flying Forward), which was recently one of the cheapest sneaker brands in China, selling for 25 to 35 yuan. However in 2006 a French company bought the label and began selling them in London and Paris for 40 to 50 Euros.