Girl from Hong Kong, China, Tiles Her Way onto the WorldSkills Stage
网友：在一众男选手中真是又美又飒
Netizens: Competing against all Male Contestants, She’s Truly Both Beautiful and Cool
记者周治涛 李碗容 实习生钟亚东
译者：刘桂兰 谢作恒 卫拉
Reporter Zhou Zhitao, Li Wanrong; Intern Zhong Yadong
Translators: Liu Guilan, Xie Zuoheng and Lisa M.K (Hubei University)
9月25日，上海，第48届世界技能大赛瓷砖贴面项目赛场。来自中国香港21岁的戴心怡俯身工位，抹刀、靠尺轮番上手，放样、切割、铺贴、勾缝一气呵成。她是该项目唯一一名女选手，在以男性选手为主的参赛阵容中，格外亮眼。
On September 25, in Shanghai, the venue for the “Wall and Floor Tiling” event of the 48th WorldSkills Competition. Tai Hsin-i, a 21-year-old contestant from Hong Kong, China, bent over her workstation, skillfully wielding her trowel and straightedge, seamlessly completing layout, cutting, installation, and grouting. As the sole female participant in this event, she stood out remarkably amidst a predominantly male lineup.
戴心怡在比赛现场 视频截图 Tai Hsin-i at the competition venue, video screenshot
只见在戴心怡的工位上，一面白色瓷砖墙已经铺贴完成，砖缝横平竖直，红色图案嵌入其中，像给素净墙面点上一笔亮色；旁边一整面蓝绿色瓷砖也已成型，灯光下泛着清亮光泽；另一侧，一小面红色瓷砖也已完工。25日上午，她正在贴新的砖块。白、蓝绿、红在墙面上交错铺开，吸引不少观众驻足拍摄。
At Tai Hsin-i’s workstation, a wall of white ceramic tiles had already been installed, with the grout lines perfectly aligned, and red patterns embedded within them—adding a vibrant touch to the otherwise plain wall surface. Beside it, an entire section of blue-green tiles had also been completed, gleaming with a clear luster under the lighting; on the opposite side, a small patch of red tiles had likewise been finished. On the morning of the 25th, she was installing new tiles. The interplay of white, blue-green, and red across the wall attracted numerous onlookers who snapped photographs of her work.
瓷砖贴面可不是“抹灰贴砖”那么简单。它是世界技能大赛结构与建筑技术类核心竞赛项目，专业性、精细度、工艺标准极高。选手要在墙面、地面、楼梯等基层上，精准铺设陶瓷、马赛克、天然石材等饰面材料，作业场景覆盖住宅、办公楼、工厂、公共建筑、园林等室内外环境。按图纸完成基层处理、精准放样、图案排版、切割铺贴、高标准勾缝，部分任务还包括泳池艺术花纹、异形造型等高难度创意铺贴，是兼具精密工艺与艺术审美的硬核技能项目。
Tile installation is far more complex than simply applying plaster and tiles. It is a core event in the Structural and Architectural Technology category of the WorldSkills Competition, demanding exceptional professionalism, precision, and adherence to rigorous trade standards. Contestants must accurately install decorative materials—such as ceramic tiles, mosaics, and natural stone—on base substrates including walls, floors, and staircases, operating across diverse indoor and outdoor environments, including residential homes, office buildings, factories, public structures, and landscaped areas. The tasks encompass substrate preparation according to technical drawings, precise layout marking, pattern arrangement, cutting and installation, and grouting to a high-standard; some assignments also involve highly challenging creative installations, such as artistic patterns for swimming pools and custom-designs. This competition tests both technical expertise and artistic sensibility, making it a demanding skill-based challenge.
长期以来，瓷砖贴面因工序繁琐、精度严苛、耐力要求高，被默认为男性主导的传统工种。戴心怡的出现，让不少人改变了看法。她专注每一道工序，铺贴平整、缝隙均匀、细节考究，扎实基本功展露无遗。
For a long time, tiling has been regarded as a traditionally male-dominated trade due to its intricate procedures, stringent precision requirements, and high physical demands. The emergence of Tai Hsin-i, however, has led many to change their perspective. She pays meticulous attention to every step of the process—ensuring flat tile laying, uniform gaps, and refined attention to detail—demonstrating her solid foundational skills in every aspect of her craft.
现场观赛的市民纷纷点赞。有观众告诉极目新闻记者：“平时装修总觉得贴瓷砖都是老师傅、男师傅的工作，没想到这么精细专业的手艺，被这位漂亮小姐姐稳稳拿捏，真的颠覆了我对这个行业根深蒂固的看法。”一名刚完成家庭装修的市民感触更深：“贴瓷砖差一点平整度、缝隙不对，后期都影响效果。看她铺得严丝合缝、工整精致，如果家里装修能让她来施工，特别让人放心。”
Local residents watching the event from the sidelines expressed their admiration. One spectator told a reporter from Jimu News: “When it comes to home renovations, I always assumed that tiling was a domain of seasoned male tilers. I was not expecting such meticulous and professional craftsmanship to be so skillfully executed by this beautiful young woman—it has truly overturned my long-held perceptions of this trade.” Another resident, who had just completed their home renovation, shared a deeper insight: “A slight lack of flatness or improperly spaced grout lines can compromise the final result. Seeing her work with such precision, neatness, and finesse, it would give me great peace of mind if she were the one handling the tiling for my home renovation project.”
赛场外，戴心怡也迅速走红网络。网友留言称赞她“又美又飒、实力出圈”，温柔外表下藏着极致的工匠精神。大家说，从她身上看到了技能职业的无限可能：职业不分性别，匠心不问男女，只要潜心深耕、精益求精，平凡技能也能站上世界顶级舞台。
Beyond the competition arena, Tai Hsin-i also quickly gained widespread popularity online. Netizens have praised her as “both beautiful and charismatic, with skills that have transcended her original discipline,” noting that beneath her gentle demeanor lies an exceptional spirit of craftsmanship. Many have remarked that she exemplifies the infinite possibilities of skill-based professions: no profession is exclusive to one gender, and no craftsmanship requires gender-specific traits—as long as one dedicates themselves to deep mastery and pursues excellence, even ordinary skills can ascend to the world’s top stage.