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Jiang Tangzhu repairs a shoe box. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

"It's harder to repair a shoe box than a pair of sneakers," said Jiang Tangzhu, an experienced shoe box repairman in Jiaxing.

Over the past three years, Jiang has repaired more than 4,000 shoe boxes. No matter how damaged a shoe box is, he is able to make it look like new.

Jiang works in a small studio and his workbench is always covered with tools used to repair boxes. The most eye-catching part of the studio is a wall stacked with popular sneaker boxes.

Jiang's workbench. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

To many fans of sneaker culture, a pair of trendy kicks is not complete without the shoe box. Such individuals are Jiang's main customers.

Jiang himself collects popular and limited-edition sneaker, which usually require him to purchase from shoe dealers or online platforms and some of which have arrived in damaged boxes.

"For sneaker collectors, this is hard to accept," said Jiang.

Three years ago, he decided to repair such shoe boxes himself.

Depending on the severity of the damage, Jiang usually takes between half an hour and four hours to repair a shoe box, trying out all sorts of tools and materials in the process.

A shoe box before and after it was repaired by Jiang. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

The longest he has spent repairing a box is eight hours.

"Some people call me a surgeon of shoe boxes. I set my foot in this field only because of my hobby," said Jiang. "It gives me a sense of accomplishment after I turn a damaged box into one that looks almost brand new."