Slipper‑King Competition

On March 1, 2026, Guangdong's first“Slipper King”competition was held in Guangzhou. Players were required to present their slippers and share the stories behind them.

The event caused a heated discussion online. The champion was Guo Dingfen, a young man born in the 1990s. His winning entry was a pair of slippers that went with him on a 28-day, 574-kilometre hiking journey.

These slippers were produced in his hometown, Leizhou. Guo said that, to some extent, they serve as a cultural symbol. However, people now seldom wear them, and perhaps this symbol will disappear in the future.“I felt it was quite a pity, so I chose this subject,”he explained while recounting the story behind them.

During the hike, Guo walked for 28 days straight in Leizhou slippers. He carried a backpack weighing 9.5 kilograms and used a GPS the whole way. Usually, he set off at around 8 am and stopped walking at dusk, covering about 20 to 25 kilometres each day.

Before starting, he prepared two pairs, but both wore out during the trip, so he had to buy an extra pair.By the time he finished, the slippers were already quite worn, and the straps (带子) had come off. Before the event, he found a repair shop and stitched them back together with a needle and thread.

“When I was sharing my story, everyone got quite excited, and several people kept cheering ‘champion’,” Guo said. He thought he might win an award for travelling such a long distance, but he never expected the slippers would be so well-received and win first place.

The organiser hoped to celebrate the lives of ordinary people and encourage everyone to hug the beauty of everyday life.