Every night for nearly two years, Li Minghui would remain in her training room until at least 10 pm, often forgetting whether it was a weekday or weekend. The 29-year-old teacher from Henan Technician College of Medicine and Health was preparing for the third iteration of the nation's most prestigious skills contest — the Vocational Skills Competition of China — where she would eventually claim the gold medal in early childhood care.

Li's story of determination and dedication to her craft is just one of thousands of others, spurred on by the nation's push to improve vocational skills backed by massive investment, legal reforms and a focus on high-end skills for new industrial sectors.

Her preparation involved more than just technical practice. She spent hours perfecting how to support an infant's head, neck and spine with just the right amount of pressure, learning to use a hollow palm and relying solely on wrist strength to pat an infant's back for burping.

"The smallest details matter tremendously in this profession," Li said. "When performing artificial respiration in first-aid scenarios, for instance, you must completely cover the infant's mouth and nose while maintaining the correct rhythm."

During the three-day competition, Li faced six rounds covering four core modules. On the first day, she handled artificial feeding and environmental disinfection, ensuring every movement was both precise and gentle.

The health management module tested her ability to administer medication and handle post-vaccination reactions, while the health care segment required demonstrating tuina (traditional Chinese infant massage) and performing CPR with exact compression depth.

"The most challenging part was balancing technical precision with emotional connection," Li said. "We had to treat the simulated infants as real ones, communicating soothing words while performing operations, and responding calmly to questions from standardized 'parents' who would point out potential safety hazards in the environment."

The Third Vocational Skills Competition was held in September in Zhengzhou, Henan province, and featured 3,420 competitors from 35 delegations competing in 106 events.

As China's highest-level, largest and most influential comprehensive national vocational skills showdown, the competition includes 66 events serving as selection trials for the WorldSkills Competition, along with 40 nationally selected events.