Guests attend the press conference of the 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, on Dec 9, 2020. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

They are expected to showcase their skills and craftsmanship during the competition, which covers a variety of criteria including age.

The release said that the most senior competitor is 58 while the youngest one is only 16 years old. The average age of the competitors is around 21.8.

The gender of the competitors, however, is imbalanced. There are 2,118 male contenders, accounting for 83 percent of the total, while female contestants only make up 17 percent, about 439 individuals. Out of the total 86 events, 29 of them, including welding and aircraft maintenance, have all male competitors.

Chen Yiwei, director of Guangdong's bureau of human resources and social security, said at the news conference on Thursday in Guangzhou that the competition will vividly show the audience the booming manufacturing industry through their mature skills.