Ancient Crafts Meet AI as WorldSkills Shanghai Opens

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 officially opened Tuesday night, bringing together 1,385 competitors from 68 countries and regions for four days of competition.

The opening ceremony was held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena beside the Huangpu River.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 48th WorldSkills Competition.

Xi noted that the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing rapidly and having a profound impact on global skills development. Closely aligned with the needs of industry, the WorldSkills Competition serves as a valuable platform for skilled professionals worldwide to hone their expertise and learn from one another.

Xi emphasized that China will take the opportunity of hosting the competition to encourage and guide more workers, especially young people, to pursue careers through skills development.

"We stand ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with all parties, advance the development of the WorldSkills movement, and better serve global economic growth and improvements in people's well-being," he said in the letter.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced the opening of WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.

The 90-minute ceremony began with a "Road of Skills Excellence," as competitors walked from an outdoor area into the performance center. About 10,000 spectators attended inside the venue, with another 3,400 watching outside.

The performances began with a tribute to four renowned Chinese innovators and craftspeople: Lu Ban, Cai Lun, Bi Sheng and Huang Daopo. Associated with woodworking, papermaking, movable-type printing and textile weaving, respectively, their contributions demonstrated how skilled craftsmanship has benefited humanity through the centuries.

Young people from five continents also shared stories of how vocational skills had changed their lives.

Another highlight was a dance performance featuring human performers and autonomous humanoid robots. The show explored how human craftsmanship and professional skills can develop alongside artificial intelligence, presenting a vision of human-machine collaboration.

The time-honored mortise-and-tenon structure, a quintessential Chinese joinery technique, also took center stage, highlighting the long history and continuing relevance of Chinese craftsmanship.

Chinese singers Zhang Liangying and Huang Zihongfan performed the event's theme song.

Competition begins Wednesday at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) and runs through Saturday. Competitors will vie for medals in 64 skills across six sectors.

China's 220-member delegation includes 71 competitors covering all 64 skills, along with 64 experts, 64 interpreters and other support personnel.

The WorldSkills Conference and Expo will take place alongside the competition.

The closing ceremony is scheduled for September 27 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.