From a boy on the construction site to a gold medal winner in the World Hairdressing Competition, Tian Feihong pursues his dream with skills

China News Service, Shanghai, September 24. Title: From a construction site boy to a world hairdressing gold medalist, Tian Feihong pursues his dream with skills

Author Di Ziying Guo Jingyu

In the hairdressing competition of the 48th World Skills Competition (referred to as "World Competition") held in Shanghai on the 24th, a fingertip competition started. Outside the court, a young spectator held his breath, observing the details of the players' competition and studying the new competition rules.

He is Tian Feihong, the gold medal winner in the hairdressing event of the 2024 World Championships in Lyon, France. Today, he has become a professional hairdressing teacher at Chongqing Wuyi Vocational and Technical College, teaching hairdressing skills and competition experience.

On September 24, in the exhibition area of ​​Chongqing Wuyi Vocational and Technical College in Hall 6.2 of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai), Tian Feihong showed off the gold medal he won at the 47th World Skills Competition.

"The hairdressing competition rules of each World Championship will change by about 30%. This year, the perm assessment has been changed to a chemical straightening assessment, with exquisite styling for curly hair." Tian Feihong said in a recent interview with China News Service that the World Championship is known as the "World Skills Olympics" and is a benchmark for skill reform and innovation in various industries. In order to capture the cutting-edge trends and international demands for hairdressing skills, Tian Feihong, a contestant turned teacher, continues to pay attention to the latest changes in the competition.

"Eight years ago, I never imagined that I would become a teacher." In the summer of 2018, after failing the high school entrance examination, he was working at a construction site and accidentally saw a video of Nie Feng, the first Chinese champion in the World Hairdressing Competition, wearing the national flag. "Until then, I didn't know that hairdressing can not only make a person's appearance more beautiful, but can also become a world champion." Tian Feihong recalled.

After resigning, he was admitted to Chongqing Wuyi Vocational and Technical College. Under the guidance of Nie Feng, he learned hairdressing skills from scratch. He practiced day and night on the model and overcame the inflexibility of his fingers through muscle memory. Tian Feihong said that learning to braid his hair was the most frustrating experience in training. In order to create an exquisite bun, he locked himself in the classroom and practiced repeatedly. Sometimes he stayed up until late at night and still couldn't get the perfect angle, curvature and stability of the work.

"There is no other way to become a good hairdresser, but to repeat and endure loneliness." After many rounds of selection, Tian Feihong finally got the only ticket to Lyon. This man, who came from a rural area in the mountainous area bordering Guizhou and Chongqing, used his hands and a pair of scissors to create a life that was once unimaginable. He also let the world see the tenacity of Chinese hairdressing.

Now, Tian Feihong is committed to cultivating more hairdressing talents. "The advantage of Chinese hairdressing craftsmanship is that it pays more attention to details in operation, and the quality of craftsmen who strive for excellence cannot be lost." He stayed in the school to teach not only to let more young people see that "skills can change their destiny", but also to inherit and practice hairdressing skills and Chinese aesthetics.

Bjørnar Valstad, CEO of WorldSkills Norway, said that the valuable experiences accumulated through training, competitions and international exchanges will be written into the resumes of young people, giving them unique and valuable assets in their careers. This is also the meaning of the World Championship.