Shanghai Metro Turns Into a Showcase for WorldSkills Countdown

Shanghai Metro launched a citywide promotion yesterday, 20 days before WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 opens at the National Exhibition and Convention Center on September 22.

A countdown installation was unveiled at People's Square Station, while two WorldSkills-themed trains began operating on Metro Line 2.

The countdown project, inspired by the mortise-and-tenon structure of the WorldSkills logo, was designed by a team from the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts.

The installation was built without nails or rivets, utilizing interlocking components. The design symbolizes connection – people, skills, cultures, traditions, and the future.

When visitors participate, interactive lighting spreads outward from the center, and a screen displays the countdown and participation figures.

A major public display for the competition is People's Square Station, a Metro interchange for lines 1, 2, and 8 with about 500,000 daily passenger movements.

The two themed Line 2 trains incorporate icons and tools representing different WorldSkills competition events into their interior designs, giving passengers a chance to learn more about the competition during their daily journeys.

Line 2 was chosen partly because it links the Hongqiao transport hub, downtown Shanghai and the National Exhibition and Convention Center, where the competition will take place.

Shanghai Metro has added 154 WorldSkills-themed lightboxes at more than 70 stations, including People's Square, Xujiahui, Xintiandi, Hongqiao International Airport, Pudong International Airport, and Longyang Road.

The National Exhibition and Convention Center Station on Line 2 is being renovated to make travel easier for participants, personnel, and spectators.