Yang Chuang and Liu Zongji, a teacher-student team from Zhanjiang Technician College, won first place in the mechanical-electronic integration category at the 2018 China Skills Competition — a national competition that selected participants for the 45th WorldSkills Competition.

The 2018 China Skills Competition, a national competition that selects participants for the 45th WorldSkills Competition, kicks off on June 12 in Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]

The biennial WorldSkills Competition is one of the largest and most prestigious vocational skills competitions in the world. It brings youth, educators and industries together to demonstrate their skills.

This year's national selection was divided into two divisions: Shanghai and Guangzhou. It featured 1,359 contestants from 52 delegations who competed in 52 events related to things like automobile technology, carpentry and mechatronics.

The mechanical-electronic integration category alone had 68 contestants competing in 29 delegations. It was the most popular and competitive of the 34 competitions in the Shanghai division. 

Yang Chuang (L), and Liu Zongji (R), operate the machine at the 2018 China Skills Competition. [Photo by Zheng Feng/Zhanjiang Daily]

Yang could not hide his excitement at winning the competition during an interview after the award ceremony. He ascribed his achievement to his school and his two coaches: Zhanjiang Craftsman Wu Huasheng, and Chen Xunjun, a national-level skill master. 

Yang and Liu have been selected as members of the national team due to their standout performances. They are like to participate on behalf of China in the 45th WorldSkills Competition, which will be held in Kazan, Russia from Aug 29 to Sept 3.