The 48th WorldSkills Competition will take place in Shanghai from Sept 22 to 27, with competitions held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), or NECC, from Sept 23 to 26.

From fashion and floristry to digital media, cooking, and hospitality, visitors can watch a wide range of skills in action.

And in many areas, they can do more than watch — they can try some of the skills themselves.

Creative skills to watch and try

The Creative Arts and Fashion sector brings together traditional craftsmanship and digital creativity.

Hall 6.1 features Fashion Technology, Floristry, Graphic Design Technology, Jewellery, and Digital Interactive Media Design, while Hall 4.1 hosts Visual Merchandising and 3D Digital Game Art.

For skills such as Digital Interactive Media Design, display screens at several competition areas will show competitors' creative processes or previous work, making the action easier to follow.

Visitors can also take part in Try-a-Skill activities, with an interactive experience area at every skill competition in the sector.

Near the Fashion Technology competition area, they can make small accessories, use a sewing machine to make a reusable bag, try making traditional Chinese pankou (knotted buttons), or try tie-dyeing.

In the Floristry area, visitors can try making a hand-tied bouquet.

Skills brought to life

The Social and Personal Services sector recreates real-life service environments inside the competition venue.

The sector includes 10 skills such as Beauty Therapy, Hairdressing, Hotel Reception, Health and Social Care, Cooking, and Restaurant Service. This year, Dental Prosthetics and Retail Sales are new additions to the competition.

Many of these skills involve working directly with people. Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy use live models, while Hotel Reception, Health and Social Care, and Retail Sales simulate interactions with guests, customers, or service users.

In Hairdressing, models step onto an LED stage once competitors have finished, providing spectators with a clearer view of the finished hairstyles.

This year marks the first time that the competition areas for Cooking and Restaurant Service are being combined into a shared setting.

The competition areas are designed to replicate the kitchen and front-of-house areas of a real restaurant, giving visitors a realistic view of both food preparation and table service. Some spectators may even be recruited as diners and sample dishes prepared during the competition.

Behind the scenes

Preparations at the NECC are entering the final stage.

The competition uses eight halls covering about 213,000 square meters, including around 70,000 sq m of competition space. Another 26,500 sq m hall is reserved for logistics and storage.

Setting up the venue requires about 1 million items, spanning 13,088 different types, from large equipment to small components.

Venue setup began on Sept 9 and is scheduled to be completed on Sept 18.

Before heading to WorldSkills

Spectator admission is free, but registration is required in advance.

Based on the organizers' latest update, visitor registration has been extended through Sept 17 and will close at the end of the day.

Visitors who successfully register will receive an E-Pass and should enter during their reserved time slot. Daily visitor numbers are capped, and registration for a given day will close once the daily quota is reached.

Source: Xinmin Evening News