Chemical lab champion mentors others to follow in her footsteps

When the words "Gold medal, China!" were announced in the ceremony hall at the WorldSkills Competition in Salzburg, Austria, in 2022, Jiang Yuhe held the country's national flag high and stepped onto the podium with pride. That moment marked China's first-ever gold medal in the chemical laboratory technology event — a historic breakthrough achieved by the then 20-year-old from a rural family in Henan province.

Jiang's journey to the world championship was anything but straightforward. Growing up in a farming family in Nanyang, she initially left school after middle school, eager to seek independence through work.

However, she quickly realized that she could be easily replaced by anyone after just half a day of training. This realization drove her back to education, where she discovered her passion for chemical laboratory technology at Henan Chemical Technician College.

The profession, which applies modern chemical methods to analyze materials, plays a crucial role in sectors ranging from food safety and environmental monitoring to pharmaceuticals and consumer goods, she said.

With extensive applications, this major offers graduates a wide range of high-paying career paths. They can work as analysts or lab managers in industries like food, medicine and petroleum, as well as have opportunities in technical management and quality control in sectors such as foreign trade, environmental protection and cosmetics.

For Jiang, it was not only a promising career path but also one that matched her meticulous and patient nature.

Her rise from a novice to a world champion was built on what she calls the three pillars of laboratory excellence: speed, accuracy and steadiness.

She trained relentlessly — accumulating over 14,000 hours of practice — to master techniques as delicate as dispensing solutions precise to 0.01 milliliters. "Even the slightest hand tremor could ruin everything," she said.

Perhaps her most daunting challenge was the competition's requirement to write a full English lab report — an 11-page document that seemed impossible given her limited English background.

Starting with only basic knowledge of the alphabet, Jiang dedicated herself to learning the language, carrying vocabulary lists everywhere and practicing during meals, before bed and even while walking. Her determination paid off when she not only completed the report but also impressed native English-speaking competitors.

Since her victory, Jiang has become a national voice for skilled craftsmanship. She has participated in the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's national webinar, sharing her story with nearly 5 million students. She has also appeared multiple times on state broadcaster China Central Television and delivered inspirational talks at nearly 40 universities and enterprises nationwide.

Now a senior lecturer at her alma mater, Jiang is committed to nurturing the next generation of skilled talents. Under her guidance, trainee Lu Jingyi secured another gold for China in the same event at the 47th World-Skills Competition held in Lyon, France, last year — continuing the legacy Jiang started.

"There is no such thing as an overnight genius — only a persevering youth," Jiang said. "We, the young generation, are not only beneficiaries of vocational education. We are builders of a skills-empowered nation, contributors to high-quality development."