Handy with fashion tech

Gao was in the national team that had prepared for the 46th World-Skills Competition, which was earlier scheduled to be held in Shanghai.

"Hu's story was part of the reason which inspired me to take part in the competition," Gao says.

Gao lost to Dong Qing in the national selection and became an assistant to Hu.

In June, the competition was canceled, and the WorldSkills organization decided to host a special edition of 62 competitive events in 15 countries and regions in Asia, Europe and Africa from September to November. The fashion technology segment will be held from Oct 20 to 23 in Helsinki. Hu is a coach of the Chinese team for that part of the special edition.

Hu and Gao have also taken the simulation contest with Dong to help her better prepare for the competition.

"It's actually teamwork," Hu says, recalling that when she was the national champion, the runner-up stayed with her to prepare for the WorldSkills competition.

As China plans to host the World-Skills Competition in Shanghai in 2026, Hu says it's a good time to pass on her knowledge and skills to those preparing.