100 Days to Opening: Li Ziqi Named WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Ambassador

Shanghai has officially kicked off the 100-day countdown to the 48th WorldSkills Competition, announcing globally celebrated content creator Li Ziqi as an official ambassador for the 2026 flagship vocational event.

Li joins actor Xiao Zhan as the second celebrity ambassador for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, leading a new promotional drive to expand public and global awareness of the world's premier vocational skills competition.

As the most prestigious international event of its kind, the WorldSkills Competition gathers outstanding young skilled talents from across the globe. Organizers said Li's ambassadorship will help the competition step beyond professional circles, deliver authentic stories of Chinese craftsmanship to global audiences, and nurture a societal atmosphere that values, respects and advocates for vocational skills and trades.

Famous for her delicately crafted videos featuring traditional Chinese craftsmanship, intangible cultural heritage and rural lifestyle, Li has built a huge, loyal fanbase on domestic and overseas social platforms.

Over the years, she has studied alongside more than 100 heritage artisans, documenting and reviving traditional handicrafts through immersive, visually compelling storytelling. She also showcased traditional Chinese aesthetics as an experience officer at the 2025 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, interpreting the profound cultural connotations behind classic Chinese costumes. Her works have long served as a approachable, heartfelt bridge for cultural exchange between China and the world.

According to organizers, Li's persistent dedication to refining traditional skills and pursuing handmade perfection perfectly embodies the 2026 WorldSkills core motto: "Master Skills Change Your Future."

In a video address marking her appointment, Li expressed sincere honor for the role and extended a warm invitation to young talents worldwide to connect and shine through the power of skills at the Shanghai event.

To make the high-level competition more relatable and engaging for young audiences, the event also named 10 prominent Chinese content creators and cultural figures as its first batch of "Chief Content Co-Creators."

Leveraging their diverse platforms and youth-centric audiences, the team will decode professional vocational skills, showcase the charm of craftsmanship, and interpret the spirit of WorldSkills through lively, trendy and easy-to-follow content, bringing the competition's culture and values closer to the general public.

Slated for September 22 to 27 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, the 48th WorldSkills Competition will host 64 official competitive events. After years of preparation, all operational and venue-related work has entered its final refinement stage.

According to Xiu Yan, executive director of the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Executive Bureau, all venue layouts and workshop plans have received official approval from WorldSkills International. Nearly one million pieces of equipment and supplies covering 12,500 categories are being delivered and installed on-site in an orderly manner. A dedicated 150-person venue management team, backed by 80 professional technical institutions, will provide round-the-clock onsite maintenance, equipment inspection and emergency response throughout the competition.

Volunteer preparations are also in full swing. Organizers have partnered with 44 local universities and colleges for domestic volunteer recruitment, while international volunteer recruitment is underway globally.

More than 3,600 volunteers will serve during the competition, forming a multilingual, international and professional volunteer team.

Over the final 100 days, the organizing team will fine-tune every service detail to ensure a seamless, high-standard global event, Xiu said.

To celebrate the countdown milestone, a citywide WorldSkills Carnival opened over the weekend at Shanghai's Bailian Zhonghuan Commerce Plaza, alongside 10 branch venues across the city.

Built around four daily life themes – clothing, food, housing and transportation – the carnival transforms competitive skills into fun, hands-on public experiences, fostering a city-wide festive atmosphere.

Attendees tried immersive activities including manicure art, traditional lacquer fan painting, woodworking and intelligent robot operation, breaking down stereotypes of vocational skills and demonstrating how professional craftsmanship integrates into modern daily life.

Major local industry leaders and skill training bases, including SAIC Motor, Shanghai Electric, Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group and Shanghai Metro, opened their facilities to the public during the open-house weekend. The events showcased cutting-edge achievements in intelligent manufacturing, biomedicine, rail transit and fine pastry craftsmanship, fully demonstrating Shanghai's robust ecosystem for nurturing high-level skilled professionals.

Notably, the competition's custom-designed official medals was also unveiled and showcased at the carnival on Sunday.

Crafted by Shanghai master artisan Zhu Xihua and produced by Shanghai Mint Co, the medals break away from the traditional round shape and feature an irregular hexagonal form built with mortise-and-tenon structure, boasting ingenious design and exquisite craftsmanship.