Macao Champion bridges theatre design and visual merchandising, demonstrating the power of transferable skills

Born in Macao, China and living between Macao and Chinese Taipei, Wing Pun is a freelance set and props designer for theatre, an event planner, and an art teacher, who works in arts administration. Wing competed on the global stage for skills at WorldSkills Kazan 2019, demonstrating an outstanding ability to apply and adapt previously learned skills to new challenges.

As a girl, Wing loved drawing and enrolled in art training classes during middle school. She then joined drama classes, where she was able to transfer those skills by helping with backstage work, and making props for many performances. At the confluence of these two arts, she found a passion to explore. She decided to study a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts from the Macao Polytechnic University, majoring in Oil Painting, and she is currently studying her master’s in the Department of Theatrical Design & Technology at the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA), majoring in Set Design.

Her decision was frowned upon at home. From humble beginnings and having worked all her life in farming and manufacturing, Wing’s mother didn’t see the future she expected for her daughter in the arts. Alongside her sister, a nurse, they put a lot of pressure on Wing to pursue a career in “a more traditional field.”

“I was afraid my parents and sister would disagree, so I trained secretly,” explains Wing. While she understands some of their concerns – an irregular schedule or an unstable salary – Wing chose to persevere. Pursuing further education opened many doors for her such as working as a stage design assistant for a concert, and in large venues in Taipei. “These were jobs I always dreamed of, but they felt distant and unfamiliar to my younger self,” she adds.

Wing heard about WorldSkills from a friend and was advised to train in Visual Merchandising. She had her doubts. It would mean pausing her art training and drama projects for over a year. Finally, she sent a last-minute application.

“When I saw how much I could learn, I was amazed. Every class excited me, and I deepened my understanding of WorldSkills and of my skill,” she says. “Before this Competition, I had no concept of spatial arrangement. There were many challenges to overcome, but I became more careful in my work after training. Five years later, I’ve started to shine in my field.”

The experience she gained through WorldSkills not only enhanced her ability to focus and her attention to detail but also boosted her confidence and capacity to perform under pressure – skills that are valuable across industries and adaptable to various situations. Most importantly, she absorbed new technical abilities in visual merchandising, which she later transferred to theatre design.

She now recognizes the similarities between both trades. “In both, I am a storyteller helping clients or directors express their vision,” says Wing. “In shops, displays and arrangements influence customers’ decisions and their final purchases. In set design, we help move the story forward. The space we create affects the actors’ movements and helps the audience understand the background of the play.”

Wing’s determination to learn from every opportunity life presents has led her to teaching art. While she enjoys helping students solve aesthetic challenges, she believes she continues to learn from them as well. She sees teaching as a two-way process. Her advice to students and those aspiring to enter her field is to start as an assistant. She firmly believes that soft skills – the abilities not explicitly taught in school – are what lead to excellence.