On 20 September, the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 and WorldSkills Museum booth attracted widespread attention at the 3rd Vocational Skills Competition of the People’s Republic of China, hosted by WorldSkills China. The booth, presented by WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, featured a wide range of formats, immersive experiences, and engaging interactive activities. Divided into four main sections, it showcased the WorldSkills Competition’s links with China, highlights of Shanghai’s event preparations, achievements in developing skilled talent, and the distinctive features of the WorldSkills Museum. Guided by the exhibition theme “Interlocking Wisdom · The Way of Skills,” the booth incorporated the traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon structure, which symbolizes Eastern craftsmanship, into its overall design.
The 48th WorldSkills Competition will take place in Shanghai from 22 to 27 September 2026. Shanghai is making steady and proactive preparations, striving to deliver an innovative and globally influential event. The exhibition booth showcases the city’s achievements in skills development and its strong commitment to hosting the Competition, highlighting Shanghai’s overall strength as a host city.
The first section of the booth traces the history of the WorldSkills Competition and WorldSkills International, setting the stage for the exhibition. The second section serves as a key platform to present Shanghai’s progress, focusing on event information, organizational highlights, and the latest updates on preparations. It also introduces seven emerging competition categories through interactive displays, where visitors can flip panels to receive a “competition insight bookmark” with detailed information about each category.
The third section highlights Shanghai’s accomplishments in developing skilled talent, team building, and the delegation’s outstanding track record in past WorldSkills Competitions. Visitors can also view the Albert Vidal Award and medals won by WorldSkills Champions Xie Huixuan and Lu Junwei at WorldSkills Competition2024 in Lyon, France, displayed in a dedicated exhibition case.
The booth’s most visually striking section was undoubtedly the fourth, positioned at centre stage. As part of China’s solemn commitment in its bid to host the WorldSkills Competition, the WorldSkills Museum serves as another “hall of skills” experience beyond the Competition arena. A triple-screen display with a glasses-free 3D effect immerses visitors in a unique museum experience.
During the event, Xu Zhenhua, founder of ULS Robotics and a representative for special artifact donations from the museum’s public education brand Ask the Masters, hosted an interactive session at the booth. He guided visitors as they tried on the VIATRIX Extended-Range Power Exoskeleton Robot, an upgraded, next-generation model of the device featured in The Wandering Earth 2. The activity drew large crowds, providing a highly engaging, technology-driven experience while showcasing Shanghai’s strengths in integrating smart hardware and AI.
In addition, the mortise-and-tenon challenge in the cultural and creative area attracted many participants. Visitors who completed the mortise-and-tenon block assembly within the time limit received museum-branded cultural and creative products. This cultural product, which once gained international recognition at the Lyon exhibition in France, remained highly popular at the national competition. Its enduring appeal reaffirmed the timeless value of skillful craftsmanship across time and space.