On 15 July, the Opening Ceremony of Blanc de Chine Temporary Exhibition was held at the WorldSkills Museum. Zhang Ying, Vice Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal Government and Director of the Shanghai WorldSkills Executive Bureau, attended the event. Other attendees included representatives from the WorldSkills Organization; the Department of Vocational Capacity Building and the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security; the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security; the Shanghai WorldSkills Executive Bureau; the Yangpu District Committee and the Yangpu District People’s Government; the Fujian Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security; Quanzhou City and Dehua County; as well as representatives from foreign consular missions.

With porcelain as a medium and skills as a bridge, the event integrated Chinese skills culture with the spirit of the WorldSkills Competition. At the ceremony, the Blanc de Chine Temporary Exhibition was officially unveiled and will be open to the public free of charge starting July 16.

The Blanc de Chine Temporary Exhibition, jointly organized over the past year by the WorldSkills Museum and the Dehua County Government, showcases more than 100 artistic treasures created by Chinese crafts and arts masters, national technical experts, and other distinguished artists. Works by renowned figures in the field, including Chen Renhai, Lian Deli, and Xu Lizhi, are also on display.

Anchored by the narrative thread of “CHINA,” the Exhibition unfolds across five chapters, “Classic,” “Horse,” “Icon,” “Nature,” and “Advance.” Framed by the three dimensions of beauty, craftsmanship, and innovation in white porcelain, it invites audiences to experience both the precision of technique and the warmth of artistic creation, weaving together a dual narrative of cultural inheritance and the contemporary renewal of white porcelain craftsmanship.

The Exhibition focuses on the core concept of “craftsmanship,” systematically presenting the eight techniques unique to “Blanc de Chine.” It showcases multiple master techniques and signature skills of white porcelain, such as the technique of “high-toughness thin-body porcelain coating” with a thickness of only 0.2 mm, which looks like gauze from afar and yet reveals true porcelain up close; the “polychrome” porcelain art, integrating Thangka painting, jewelry inlay, and ceramic firing techniques, using hand-painted natural mineral pigments; and the “tonghua” porcelain art, known as “paper-cutting in porcelain, blooming flowers on porcelain.” Meanwhile, the exhibition area offers immersive experiences such as “Finger Repair Workshop” and “Ceramic Life in the Digital Realm,” using “AI+” and “Art+” to create dynamic scenarios that bring professional skills to life through interactive play.

To celebrate the 48th WorldSkills Competition, the Exhibition has specially customized three themed exhibits: “WorldSkills in Blossom”, “Shanghai Sets Sail with Skills”, and “Symbiosis: In Bloom”. These exclusively pieces integrate representative plants of the member countries and regions of WorldSkills International, elements of the WorldSkills Competition such as Nengneng and Qiaoqiao, and iconic symbols of Shanghai like the Oriental Pearl Tower and the White Magnolia. Several important national gift ceramics, such as “Jade Bell Plum Vase”, “Enduring Fragrance of the Quiet Valley”, and “Swan Dancing”, as well as exquisite works like “Myth”, “Double Lions Presenting Auspiciousness”, and “Literary Guan Gong in Vivid Polychrome Style” will also be displayed.

After the opening ceremony, the guests toured the Exhibition together. They enjoyed a live demonstration of under-glaze polychrome hand-painting techniques by skilled masters such as Zhang Lijiao, vice chairman of the Dehua County Artists Association, and then tried their hand at painting miniature porcelain bottles under the masters’ guidance, experiencing firsthand the precision and heritage of porcelain craftsmanship.

Also on the day of the event,WorldSkills Museum’s newly developed “We Try” program was officially launched. The platform integrates resources from Museum-alliance schools, WorldSkills sponsors, and other partners, fostering collaboration both within the Museum and across external institutions. The fourth floor of the Museum features four experience zones, jointly created by Museum-alliance schools, including Shanghai Electronic Information Vocational and Technical College, Shanghai Construction Management Vocational and Technical College, Shanghai Trade School, Shanghai Environmental School, Shanghai Industrial Technology School, and Shanghai Second Light Industry School, as well as WorldSkills Competition sponsors such as Guangdong Weikang Education Technology Co., Ltd.

In its first phase, the “We Try” program offers engaging experiences across four WorldSkills Competition categories: Floristry, Pâtisserie and Confectionery, Mechatronics, and ICT Network Infrastructure. Subsequent phases will gradually introduce additional skills, including Optoelectronic Technology, Painting and Decorating, and Hairdressing. The Arena will also feature demonstrations of two new competition categories added this year: Intelligent Security Technology and Dental Prosthetics. Through a “demonstration + hands-on experience” model, it enables young people to explore WorldSkills Competition categories up close and experience the appeal of skills in an immersive way. In the future, the “We Try” program will also include activities in communities such as Jinmao Shanghai.

Starting immediately until early September, the “We Try” program will be open every Saturday on a regular basis. Audiences can make reservations through the official WeChat account of the WorldSkills Museum to participate.