2025年3月19日，中国日报 Z Weekly版面刊发专题采访报道《Turning wood into gold》，讲述学院教师邵茹鹏追求极致、坚持不懈的故事，向海内外年轻人展现工匠精神。
Turning wood into gold
Shao Rupeng, a skilled woodworker and gold medalist, combines tradition and creativity to inspire the next generation of craftsmen.
At just 23 years old, Shao Rupeng has already made a name for himself in the world of joinery.
Currently a teacher at Shanghai Technology and Innovation Vocational College, Shao made history at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, where, at just 20 years old, he won the gold medal in joinery — marking a historic first for the Chinese team in this category.
In January this year, he was named one of the Shanghai Craftsmen of 2024. Among the 105 skilled individuals recognized, he stood out as the youngest recipient of the title.
Shao's fascination with woodworking began in his childhood when he often observed carpenters making furniture at his home. I was curious and loved watching them work, he recalled.
In 2018, Shao began studying construction engineering at Shanghai City Science and Technology School. There, he learned that a senior student had won a gold medal in an international joinery competition, which reignited his passion for the craft.
I believed I had strong hands-on skills and wanted to give it a try, Shao said.
However, his journey was far from smooth. When he first joined the school's woodworking club, he had little knowledge of the tools or techniques. The initial training was basic and repetitive, involving day after day of cutting straight lines with saws and carving mortises with chisels.
Woodworking isn't as simple as it looks. A single misstep can ruin the wood, Shao explained. It takes a lot of practice to develop a good feel for it.
Rising to the challenge
After six months of basic training, Shao stood out among 35 students and was selected for the school's elite team for the WorldSkills competitions.
As training intensified, Shao and his teammates had to forgo regular classes, dedicating all their time to the workshop.
We trained from 8 am to 9 pm, six days a week, with no breaks during winter or summer vacations, Shao recalled.
Within the team, the number of tools Shao used grew from just a few basic ones to dozens, even hundreds. Each day, he had to master new techniques, with higher standards expected of his work.
One of the biggest challenges Shao faced was perfecting the precision of traditional Chinese sunmao (mortise-and-tenon) joints.
This essential technique requires that the gap between two wooden pieces be less than 0.2 millimeters.
If even the measurement of one part is off, it affects the entire piece, he explained.
Shao also paid meticulous attention to the internal structure of his work, striving to make it as flawless as the 3D models created in software.
Some traditional craftsmen believe the inside of a wooden piece doesn't matter since it's not visible, but I disagree, Shao said.
His relentless pursuit of excellence earned him the highest score in the internal structure module at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, securing the gold medal in the joinery category.
Achieving this was not easy. To compete on the world stage, Shao had to pass multiple rounds of selection, starting at the school level and progressing to municipal and national levels.
According to WorldSkills rules, participants are prohibited from competing in the next edition, regardless of their results. This made the opportunity even more valuable and fueled Shao's determination to perform at his best.
Before the competition, Shao was assigned his workstation by a draw, placing him between the Austrian and British competitors, both renowned for their exceptional joinery skills.
Seeing their speed and craftsmanship up close added significant pressure, he recalled.
However, the real challenge came later. Shao explained that the competition usually releases a sample task three months in advance, with the final task typically differing by 30 to 50 percent.
But when I saw the final task, it was completely unrelated to the sample, Shao said, meaning his months of preparation were in vain.
This blind task caught all participants off guard. According to Shao, most competitors had barely finished their work by the end of the competition. However, thanks to his solid skills and ability to adapt on the spot, Shao was able to complete his work beautifully.
Crafting the future
At the end of 2022, Shao transitioned from being a student to a joinery coach at his school. He found his new role to be quite challenging.
Teaching woodworking is completely different from doing it yourself, he explained. I have to break down every step so that students can understand and grasp the details and principles.
Some things, however, can't be taught. It's difficult to teach the 'feel' of woodworking, Shao said. I can only instruct them on the methods — the rest they must learn through practice.
While Shao encourages his students to make good use of modern technology to handle repetitive tasks, he stresses that it is human creativity that transforms a piece of wood into something truly unique.
Craftsmanship can be described with many positive words, but for me, it's all about creating with your hands, he said. If you only dream and never take action, you'll accomplish nothing.
化木为金
邵茹鹏，一位技艺精湛的木工和金牌得主，将传统与创意相结合，激励着下一代工匠。
年仅23岁的邵茹鹏已经在木工界崭露头角。目前，他是上海科创职业技术学院的教师。在2022年世界技能大赛特别赛中，年仅20岁的他赢得了木工项目的金牌，这是中国队在该类别中的历史性突破。
今年1月，他被评选为2024年“上海工匠”之一。在105位获此殊荣的技能人才中，他是最年轻的获得者。
邵茹鹏对木工的热爱始于童年，那时他经常在家观察木匠制作家具。“我很好奇，喜欢看他们工作，”他回忆道。2018年，邵茹鹏进入上海城市科技学校学习建筑工程。在那里，他得知一位学长曾在国际木工比赛中获得金牌，这重新点燃了他对木工的热情。“我相信自己动手能力强，想试一试，”邵茹鹏说。
然而，他的旅程并不顺利。当他第一次加入学校的木工社团时，他对工具和技术几乎一无所知。最初的训练是基础且重复的，日复一日地用锯子切割直线，用凿子雕刻榫眼。
“木工并不像看起来那么简单。一步失误就可能毁掉整块木头，”邵茹鹏解释道，“需要大量练习才能掌握其中的感觉。”
迎接挑战
经过六个月的基础训练，邵茹鹏从35名学生中脱颖而出，被选入学校的精英团队，备战世界技能大赛。
随着训练的深入，邵茹鹏和队友们不得不放弃其他事务，将所有时间都投入到车间训练中。
“我们每天从早上8点训练到晚上9点，每周六天，寒假和暑假也没有休息，”邵茹鹏回忆道。
在团队中，邵茹鹏使用的工具从最初的几种增加到几十种，甚至上百种。每天，他都要掌握新技术，并面临更高的工作标准。
邵茹鹏面临的最大挑战之一是完善中国传统榫卯结构的精度。这项关键技术要求两块木头之间的间隙小于0.2毫米。
“即使一个部分的尺寸稍有偏差，也会影响整个作品，”他解释道。
邵茹鹏还非常注重作品的内部结构，力求使其像软件创建的3D模型一样完美。
“一些传统工匠认为木头的内部不重要，因为看不见，但我不同意，”邵茹鹏说。
他对卓越的追求使他在2022年世界技能大赛特别版的内部结构模块中获得了最高分，从而赢得了木工项目的金牌。取得这一成就并不容易。为了登上世界舞台，邵茹鹏必须通过多轮选拔，从校级到市级再到国家级。
根据世界技能大赛的规则，无论成绩如何，参赛者都不得参加下一届比赛。这使得这次机会更加珍贵，也激发了邵茹鹏全力以赴的决心。
比赛前，邵茹鹏通过抽签被分配到工作台，位于奥地利和英国选手之间，这两位选手都以出色的木工技艺闻名。
“近距离看到他们的速度和工艺，压力很大，”他回忆道。
然而，真正的挑战还在后面。邵茹鹏解释说，比赛通常会在三个月前发布一个样题，最终任务通常与样题有30%到50%的差异。
“但当我看到最终任务时，发现它与样题完全无关，”邵茹鹏说，这意味着他几个月的准备都白费了。
这个“盲题”让所有参赛者措手不及。据邵茹鹏介绍，大多数选手在比赛结束时都勉强完成了作品。然而，凭借扎实的技能和临场应变能力，邵茹鹏出色地完成了自己的作品。
塑造未来
2022年底，邵茹鹏从学生转变为学校的木工教练。他发现新角色颇具挑战性。
“教木工和亲自做木工完全不同，”他解释道，“我必须分解每一步，让学生理解并掌握细节和原理。”
然而，有些东西是无法教授的。“木工的‘感觉’很难教，”邵茹鹏说，“我只能教他们方法，剩下的必须通过实践来学习。”
尽管邵茹鹏鼓励学生充分利用现代技术处理重复性任务，但他强调，正是人类的创造力“将一块木头变成真正独特的东西”。“工匠精神可以用许多积极的词汇来形容，但对我来说，它就是用双手创造，”他说，“如果你只做梦而不行动，你将一事无成。”
（本内容由机器翻译生成）