Learning her craft

After junior high school Wen Caiyun failed to get into her preferred high school. Once again Wen Li was her guardian angel, accompanying her on a trip to Guangzhou to select a vocational school.

Based on her interest in fashion, Wen Caiyun landed a place in a five-year program in fashion brand design and brand planning at Baiyun Technician College of Business and Technology.

"It was interesting and fun. In design classes, we drew pictures together. The atmosphere was nice. In craft classes, we made clothes and some small items like animal patterns and bags. My favorite clothes are evening dresses," Wen Caiyun said. She also learned the latest trends from fashion magazines in the school library.

A teacher recommended she try to compete in the 44th WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in 2017.

She became one of the 10 national candidates, but failed to secure the top place needed to qualify for the competition.

Wen Caiyun then took a one-year internship at an evening dress company, designing in lace and patterned cloth.

When the qualifying events for the competition in Kazan approached last year, teachers persuaded Wen Caiyun to try again. Jiang Shaorong, head of the fashion department at the college, said she was feeling discouraged by her previous failure.

The training was tough, both for Wen Caiyun and the teachers, who spent plenty of their spare time helping her perfect her skills and preparing her to cope with the psychological ups and down.

Training in the last few months before the contest was tough, with more than 12 hours' work a day. "Sometimes I felt tired and bored. Then I took a rest," Wen Caiyun said.