On 4 February, as part of the preparation week for the 48th WorldSkills Competition,  the Shanghai City Promotion Event and a series of interactive experiences to engage with intangible cultural heritage were unveiled at the WorldSkills Museum. Organized by the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Executive Bureau, the event featured six exhibition booths that combined city promotion with hands-on intangible cultural heritage experiences.” It vividly showcased Shanghai’s historical heritage, urban charm, and skills culture to global guests, creating a vibrant atmosphere for the 2026 WorldSkills Competition.

Over 400 guests from the WorldSkills Board, Secretariat, Member organizations, sponsors, media, and Workshop Managers attended the event. They toured the Museum’s permanent exhibitions and the temporary “Artificial Intelligence” exhibition, gaining deeper insights into the evolution of WorldSkills and the global trajectory of skills development.

Launch of 2+12 WorldSkills-Themed Touring Routes; Unlocking A New Experience of “Skills Plus Culture and Tourism”

To welcome the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, the Executive Bureau has launched 12 themed touring routes available during the event and two additional routes for the preparation week, allowing global participants, technical experts, and their families to fully experience the charm of Shanghai. The first batch of the 12 themed routes available during the Competition includes four half-day tours, four one-day tours, two two-day tours, and two three-day tours, and will be launched after the preparation week for visitors to book. The on-site “Shanghai Impression” booths will provide multilingual city promotional materials and offer global guests with first-hand access to information about the city.

Pre-orders for Licensed WorldSkills Merchandise off to A Strong Start; Cultural-Creative Design Blending Skills with Urban Symbols

Equally eye-catching was the exhibition area for the licensed merchandise for WorldSkills Shanghai. Items such as badges, apparel, and cultural-creative products ingeniously blended Shanghai elements such as Bund architecture and Shikumen with symbols of skills competitions, showcasing both creative design and practical value. They sparked strong interest, numerous inquiries, and even pre-orders from attendees, with some of the most popular items available for instant reservation in limited quantities. Guests remarked that these were “more than just event souvenirs. They were a piece of Shanghai to take home.”

Immersive Experiences with Intangible Cultural Heritage Going Viral; International Guests Appreciating Eastern Aesthetics at Their Fingertips

The intangible cultural heritage skills demonstration area became another major highlight of the event. Three exhibition booths were set up, featuring classic intangible cultural heritage crafts such as button knots, Chinese knots, and sachets. These interactive displays allowed guests to experience firsthand the exquisite craftsmanship and charm of traditional Chinese skills. At the button-knot exhibition booth, an array of exquisite finished pieces attracted guests to stop and admire. Beyond appreciation, participants could also follow instructions to craft their own straight or pipa-style button knots (“pipa” is a lute-like Chinese instrument), turning this classic element of traditional Chinese attire into a personalized keepsake. As the Spring Festival was around the corner, the Chinese-knot booth was filled with a strong festive atmosphere. Through demonstrations of this traditional knotting art and introductions to its history and symbolism, guests followed artisans’ guidance to weave flat-knot bracelets and lucky-knot key chains, experiencing Eastern aesthetics at their fingertips. At the sachet booth, many guests found themselves “drawn by the fragrance.” Using a variety of traditional Chinese herbal spices provided on-site, they crafted unique fabric sachets, and learned for the first time about the cultural significance and health benefits behind the tradition through this hands-on process.

This event not only effectively promoted the city’s image but also served as a vivid and innovative example of the deep integration of culture, sports, commerce, tourism, and exhibitions. By “promoting tourism through competitions and shaping the city through culture,” Shanghai is embracing the 48th WorldSkills Competition with an open and inclusive spirit, presenting to the world a city image defined by skill excellence, cultural depth, and the warmth of everyday life.