What does a day in the city feel like?

An early morning bus, a fast network connection during peak hours, and a delicious dinner ready in the evening… It is these moments that make up people’s daily lives, keeping the city’s pulse beating day after day.

Behind these  operations are countless  of skilled people who make the world move. For many, “WorldSkills Competition” may still be an unfamiliar name, but “skills” are never abstract. They form the foundation of modern life and open up new possibilities for social progress.

Back in 1950, in Madrid, Spain, 24 young apprentices stepped onto the competition stage, tools in hand. They might never have imagined that this event would later grow into an “International Competition ” with Competitors from across the globe. Generation after generation have proven here with their skills that excellence is not  beyond imagination. It is born at the lathes, by the workbenches, in every stitch and seam.

China is getting ready to welcome the world to WorldSkills Competition but China’s journey with the WorldSkills began in 2010. From a silver medal in London in 2011 to 36 gold medals in WorldSkills Lyon 2024. The 48th WorldSkills Competition will be held from 22 to 27 September 2026 in Shanghai. It brings together over 1,400 top Competitors from more than 70 countries and regions to compete in 64 skills.   In this Competition,  new skills including Unmanned Aerial Systems, Rail Vehicle Technology, Digital Interactive Media Design will make their debut. Those skills closely follow the pulse of modern industries.

Why Shanghai? From a single screw of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, to the lights of the Bund architectural group, and then to the intricate structures behind the glass facades of Lujiazui skyscrapers, all make Shanghai what it is.  What a  humble screw, century-old buildings and today’s skyscrapers have in common however is real skill and craftsmanship, passed down and practiced by ordinary people in this city, generation after generation.

On 3 August, the trailer of the 48th WorldSkills Competition, co-produced by Xinhua News Agency’s New Media Center and Jiefang Daily, was released across all online platforms. Shanghai WorldSkills Ambassador Xiao Zhan invites everyone to follow these young people as they chase their dreams and step onto the stage of this global top-tier skills event.

Skills change the world; skills illuminate the future! In fifty days, as young people from all over the world gather by the Huangpu River to compete in the 64 skills, the heartbeat of the world will pulse together with the city of Shanghai.