WorldSkills Champions perform “Every Beam of Light” at the Chinese Spring Festival Gala

At the 2026 Year of the Horse Gala, the micro-musical “Every Beam of Light” gained widespread attention. During the performance, 30 WorldSkills Champions appeared one after another in their professional uniforms or award attire, bringing vocational skills to the stage and presenting a new generation of skilled youth to global audiences. Together, these young people embodied the core message of the song: “Be your own light and together illuminate the future.”

Starting from Shanghai: Excellence and Inclusiveness in a song

Inspired by the WorldSkills Competition to be held in Shanghai later in 2026, the song “Every Beam of Light” was performed by WorldSkills Champions together with popular Chinese singers Wang Zhengliang, Wang Sulong, and Li Xian. Jointly produced by China Media Group and the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, the piece honours ordinary individuals who shine brightly in their own way.

“The temperament of Shanghai provides us with abundant inspiration for our creation,” said Bateer, the composer of “Every Beam of Light”. The city’s spirit of craftsmanship was woven into every detail of the performance. The delicate opening melody, paired with the workstation imagery on stage, highlighted the rigour and precision of skilled work. As the music unfolded, WorldSkills Champions joined artists on stage, accompanied by rich visual and musical elements that reflected Shanghai’s embrace of skilled talent from around the world.

“Every Beam of Light” is not only a tribute to hardworking ordinary people, but also an invitation from Shanghai to the world. Bateer hopes that when skilled talents from around the globe gather in Shanghai later in the year, they will feel the power of “being seen, understood, and inspired” through this song. And when those lights converge in Shanghai, they will illuminate not just the individuals who dedicate themselves to their craft, but the city that welcomes them.

Advanced Skills Meet Artistic Expression

The most touching moments in the performance came from the skill demonstrations by the WorldSkills Champions. Jiang Yingcheng, the gold Medallist in Car Painting at the 44th WorldSkills Competition, used a spray gun to recreate “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” — one of China’s most renowned classical landscape paintings — on a car door, demonstrating the fusion of modern industrial tools with millennia-old Eastern aesthetics.

Huang Bolin, the gold Medallist in Joinery at the 47th WorldSkills Competition, combined traditional mortise and tenon joints with contemporary design, creating a wooden artwork using wood veneer splicing, featuring elements such as the “Chengcheng” mascot pattern and the small-seal-script character for a horse.

Hu Ping, the gold Medallist in Fashion Technology at the 44th WorldSkills Competition, gathered fabric into flowers and embedded them into beautiful evening gowns.

These exquisite displays of skill encouraged the audience not only to appreciate the beauty of craftsmanship, but also to feel the festive spirit of the season.

For these Competitors, performing on the Spring Festival Gala stage was a new challenge. Luo Zili, the gold Medallist in Mechatronics at the 47th WorldSkills Competition, admitted with a smile, “I’m someone who spends all day with a poker face working on equipment. But on the Spring Festival Gala stage, I have to keep smiling and make the performance enjoyable for the audience. That’s the hardest part for me.”

Program Director Bi Bo explained that they invited WorldSkills Champions to perform because of their authenticity and personal stories, which aligned with the programme’s core theme – the brilliance of the ordinary.

“The Competitors who won medals at the WorldSkills Competition are the top performers in their respective fields. Each of them has their own journey. After our research and discussions, we found that every one of them could deliver five seconds of brilliance on the Spring Festival Gala stage. And when these moments of brilliance are connected, they form a vibrant and colourful picture,” Bi Bo said.

Ordinary and Radiant: The Best Era for Skill Development

“Every Beam of Light” has a verse that says, “Skills light the way to the future; every trade shines in its own brilliance. Unbound by convention, each talent is born to thrive. Stride into the world and rise to every challenge.”

“As long as you work hard, anyone can become a top achiever, no matter the profession,” Bi Bo said. Inviting WorldSkills Champions to perform at the Gala showed global audiences that skills can lead to a bright future – and that all careers can produce champions.

The 48th WorldSkills Competition will be held in Shanghai later this year. During Competition Preparation Week in February, Wang Xiaoping, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, noted in her speech that China would release a declaration reflecting broad consensus and launch a series of WorldSkills‑related activities. These initiatives, she said, would become defining features of this year’s Competition and serve as an important step in advancing WorldSkills Vision 2035.

From arena to stage, “Every Beam of Light” shines on ordinary people who build a life with skills. When the light of skills illuminates Shanghai later this year, the world will see that skills are a passport for young people to a brighter future.