Nine renowned craftsmen and 18 apprentices are paired up at the Hangzhou Oxygen Plant Group on Sept 10. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Nine renowned craftsmen and 18 apprentices were paired up at the Hangzhou Oxygen Plant Group on Sept 10, local media reported.

Lu Guanfu, a senior engineer who has been working in the final assembly industry for 33 years, was among them. He signed an agreement with his two apprentices to give them hands-on instructions to sharpen their skills and deepen their knowledge of safety operations, as did all of the other masters.

The craftsmen will conduct examinations. Apprentices must pass the tests and show significant improvement in their professional skills.

"I will try my best to share my knowledge and skills with my apprentices and help them master their craft," Lu said.

Ji Zhenglong, a hairdresser and ace coach, was among the instructors. He signed an agreement with his 22-year-old ace apprentice Shi Dan, who was the hairdressing champion at the 45th World Skills Competition in Kazan, Russia, on Aug 28, 2019.

Shi has impressed many with her calmness and hairdressing talent, but remains modest about her achievements and said she was looking forward to learning from Ji.

The matchmaking activity was a prelude to "Hangzhou Craftsman Day" on Sept 26. Hangzhou first celebrated the day to encourage craftsmanship in 2019. Over the past decade, 150,000 craftsmen have trained over 18 million apprentices in the city.