Booth promotes Shanghai at WorldSkills Competition in France

Yang Meiping
Changsam dresses and Lu Ban puzzles attract crowds of people as Shanghai steps up preparations as host city of the 48th WorldSkills Competition in 2026.
Yang Meiping

Shot by Yang Meiping. Edited by Yang Meiping. Reported by Yang Meiping. Subtitles by Yang Meiping.

A booth has been set up at the venue of the 47th WorldSkills Competition in France for visitors to gain a better understanding of Shanghai, the host city for the 48th edition of the event in 2026 and the WorldSkills Museum.

Exhibits include handicraft works on mascots for WorldSkills 2026, plus suits and dresses made by time-honored brand Longfeng Changsam. There were also sachets in various shapes made with skills recognized as cultural heritage in Shanghai.

A multimedia section introduced the WorldSkills Museum located in Shanghai.

Visitors can also try their hands on making knot buttons, a unique style of button for Changsam, which attracted many women to the event.

Booth promotes Shanghai at WorldSkills Competition in France
Yang Meiping / SHINE

Two visitors try to solve a Lu Ban puzzle.

Young visitors were obsessed in timer framed structures such as Lu Ban puzzle, with many spending almost an hour in dissembling and rebuilding the structures to win souvenirs.

Isis Poggiolni, a 20-year-old French volunteer, tried more than an hour and solved the puzzle with assistance from the booth staff.

"It's my first time to play with this toy. I would like to win it as a gift for my 13-year-old brother," she said. "It's interesting, pretty complicated and challenging."

A Lu Ban puzzle, or Lu Ban lock, is a type of toy believed to have been invented 1,800 years ago by Zhuge Liang, who applied master carpenter Lu Ban's techniques in building mortise-and-tenon joint structures.

The mascots of the 48th WorldSkills Competition hold Lu Ban locks in their hands in a nod to the artisanship of traditional Chinese carpentry.

Booth promotes Shanghai at WorldSkills Competition in France
Yang Meiping / SHINE

Visitors try to make knot buttons.


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