Competitors keen to pass on expertise

Keen interest

A college graduate from Chongqing claimed the top honor in the beauty therapy competition at the WorldSkills Competition in a category that used to be dominated by European competitors.

On Oct 24, Wang Pei, 23, won China's first beauty therapy title at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition in Helsinki.

As a young girl, Wang showed a keen interest in wearing makeup and dressing smartly. She often dressed herself and her sisters, using the skills she had learned. In 2017, Wang enrolled for her dream major of image design at Chongqing City Management College.

"It is painstaking mastering the skills, and the beginning is always the hardest part," Wang said.

When she started to learn the profession, she couldn't prevent her hands trembling when she attached fake eyelashes or carried out manicures.

One year later, Wang's hard work and talent in her field was discovered by her tutor Wang Peng, the head expert and group leader of Team China Beauty Therapy for the WorldSkills Competition.

Wang Pei said she once hit a bottleneck regarding cosmetic techniques. She wanted to give up, but her tutor helped her find different popular samples from overseas to guide her one step at a time in practicing from sketches and on models.

During intensive training this year, Wang, the tutor, invited local teachers in art, ballet and tai chi, along with a traditional Chinese medicine expert from Beijing to improve Wang Pei's skills.

The competition module featured seven tasks — advanced facial treatment, body treatment, hair removal, nail art, makeup, eyelash extensions, and manicures and pedicures.

Wang excelled at body treatment on the third day. On a model's back, she used a set of sports massage techniques that combined elements of traditional Chinese massage and tai chi. Her work won her the highest score among the contestants.

"I feel a strong sense of national identity," Wang said after winning the gold medal. "The techniques come from China, but belong to the world."

Wang recently received a teaching offer from her college. She said she will continue to improve her knowledge and skills, and pass them on to her students and future contestants.