Monkey King Sun Wukong, a leading character in the Chinese novel “Journey to the West” and popular game “Black Myth: Wukong,” appeared at the closing ceremony of the 47th WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France, on Sunday.
Wukong, played by Shanghai Peking Opera performer Hao Jie, showed his signature moves, such as swinging the Jingu Bang (golden cudgel), and performed with break dancers, with music from the 1987 TV series of “Journey to the West,” which was also adopted by the game “Black Myth: Wukong.”
Their appearance was part of an eight-minute performance by Shanghai to extend a warm welcome to young talent from all over the world to participate in the 48th WorldSkills in 2026.
Hu Qianqiu, director of the performance, said it was a combination of tradition and modernity in the hope of winning the hearts of a young audience.
The performance transformed the stage into an epitome of Shanghai using a story of skills with paper as its medium.
It started with a two-minute video showing Shanghai’s landmarks and craftsmen, then told the story of how a Chinese fashion designer, played by Shanghai dancer Zhu Jiejing, made a paper dress with China’s skills of mortise-and-tenon joint structures as a gift to go with an invitation letter.
The “designer” then invited models in garments made of renewable environmentally friendly paper to show the unique culture and fashion of Shanghai, and promote the idea of sustainable development.
Meanwhile, Shanghai cultural heritage inheritor Li Shiyi showed off her papercutting skills on stage and cut a paper cape.
Dancers also presented the charm of mortise-and-tenon joint structures with their hands, paying respect to the skill.
The performance ended with the theme song “Meet the Future” sung by musical actor Ayanga, accompanied by Neng Neng and Qiao Qiao, mascots of the 48th WorldSkills Competition, as well as models dressed in futuristic clothes.
A Chinese-French girl put on the paper cape made by papercutting master Li, demonstrating the friendship between China and France as this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries.