Exhibits given to WorldSkills Museum
The first batch of exhibits for the WorldSkills Museum, which is set to be established in Shanghai in September 2021 when the 46th WorldSkills Competition takes place, were given to the city on Wednesday.
The museum, to be located in Yangpu District, aims to display the history and development of global skills and promote cooperation and communication in world’s skills, as well as spread the “spirit of workmanship.”
It will also serve as an international exhibition center and collaboration platform for WorldSkills, and a skill education base for youth.
The museum has collected more than 700 pieces of information about its exhibits, covering various fields such as textiles, steel, aerospace, power, shipbuilding, aircraft and automobiles.
The first 105 artefacts that have arrived in Shanghai includes pictures, videos and tools.
There are medals from the WorldSkills Competition in the 1960s, including China’s first Albert medal — a medal for the highest score — at the 44th WorldSkills Competition, Chinese pottery during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), some modern embroidery, woodworking tools and tools used by curium porcelain craftsmen.
They have been donated by the WorldSkills International, Shanghai Textiles Museum and domestic organizations.
David Hoey (left), chief executive officer of WorldSkills International, represents the organization to donate medals and photos to the WorldSkills Museum, which will be established in Shanghai in September 2021 when the 46th WorldSkills Competition takes place.
“The WorldSkills Museum builds a road for skills exchange and showcases domestic and overseas skills,” said Peng Chenlei, deputy mayor of Shanghai.
David Hoey, chief executive officer of WorldSkills International, said he was happy and satisfied with the collection.
“If you look at just a snippet of the collection, it shows what a rich history we have,” said Hoey.
He said a picture of young Spaniard Francisco Albert Vidal, one of the WorldSkills International’s founding fathers, was an example.
At the end of World War II, Spain had a great need for skilled workers.
“For 33 years he had dedicated his life to showcase and inspire young people,” Hoey said. “We now have an organization that runs competitions in 82 countries and regions around the world.”
Jiang Changning, former curator of the Shanghai Textiles Museum, said the oldest and heaviest exhibits are from the textiles museum.
“We brought four artefacts to the WorldSkills Museum this time,” Jiang said. “The oldest one is the gray pottery cauldron with cloth pattern, which was used 2,400 years ago in the Warring States Period.
“To make pottery, the ancient Chinese placed cloth and put the clay on it. When the clay was half wet and half solid, they used the cloth to shape it, that’s why there was a cloth pattern.
“The heaviest one is a British carding machine which was produced in 1918, which weighs about 3 tons. It can help remove the impurities from cotton by combing the cotton out.”
The oldest exhibit is a gray pottery cauldron with cloth pattern, which was used 2,400 years ago in the Warring States Period.
Song Biao, the 44th WorldSkills Competition’s Albert medal winner, donated the medal to inspire young craftsmen.
“When I decided to enter a technical school in 2014, many people didn’t understand my choice and thought it was a waste of time,” Song said.
“But a few years later, more and more people around me chose technical schools, which might have been encouraged by our nation’s promotion of ‘spirit of workmanship’.”
Now he works as a teacher at a technical school in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, training young hopefuls.
Song Biao (right), the 44th WorldSkills Competition’s Albert medal winner, donates the medal to the WorldSkills Museum.
