WorldSkills 2019 ends and the journey to Shanghai begins
Xiao Zitong (left) and Feng Zhutian, both 23 and master's students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, win silver medals in Internet security at the 45th WorldSkills Competition in Kazan, Russia.
China won 16 gold medals, 14 silver, five bronze and 17 other prizes at the 45th WorldSkills Competition which wrapped up on Tuesday in Kazan, Russia.
Contestants from Shanghai won two golds, one silver and three other awards.
Lu Yiwei, a 19-year-old student from Shanghai Urban Construction Engineering School, won a gold award in floristry, and Xu Aomen, 20, a teacher at Yangpu Vocational and Technical School, won another gold in auto body repair.
Xiao Zitong and Feng Zhutian, both 23 and master's students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, won silver in Internet security, while Zhang Zaijie, Wu Jiani and Feng Jiale, students from local vocational schools, also won prizes in print media technology, restaurant service and website design and development.
On the closing ceremony, the flag of WorldSkills International was handed over to Wang Yongqing, vice president of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Zhang Jinan, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, and Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong. Ying waved the flag to the audience, marking the beginning of the journey toward the next competition in Shanghai, the 46th competition in 2021.
A 10-minute performance, “Charming China, Dynamic Shanghai,” at the ceremony started with a video about a day in the lives of young skilled people in China and ended with the craftsmen gathered in the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, where the 46th WorldSkills Competition will take place, to tell people all over the world that Shanghai is ready for the event.
Then dozens of young men performed a powerful drum dance while female dancers performed to show culture of Shanghai and the region south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The music then turned dynamic to show the modern metropolis of Shanghai and extend a welcome to people from all over the world.
Before the closing ceremony, Ying met with Simon Bartley, president of WorldSkills International, and Jos de Goey, president-elect of the organization.
Ying said Shanghai needs guidance and support of WorldSkills International and the two presidents, especially in collecting exhibits for the WorldSkills Museum that opened during the 2021 event.
