Lego is a child's toy, right? Well, not exactly! At a shopping mall in Shanghai, it was adults who were wielding the colored bricks together, as they competed for a job.

The competition in a shopping mall near Changfeng Park attracted many people. Around 30 contestants had to work their way through three rounds to win the competition.

At a shopping mall in Shanghai, it was adults who were wielding the colored bricks together, as they competed for a job.

In the first two rounds, they were asked to build a city symbol and a marine animal respectively. The finalists were tasked with working with a child to make an animal they like.

Players were competing for a job. A Lego center will open in Shanghai this Spring, and the company is hiring instructors who can teach kids how to build things.

The contestants' creations and their communication with children were used to select the winner. Although most contestants have played with Lego bricks since childhood, they said it was not easy to finish a satisfactory work in a limited time.

"We usually have different kinds of elements when we build models. I used to spend dozens of hours on a large project. But now we are limited to certain kinds and colors of bricks," Li Ming said.

"Also, it's not easy to learn what children like. A boy suggested we attach the head of a monkey on a TV tower, which was quite imaginative."

"I made three works today including a shikumen house, which I think represents the city really well. The most challenging part is picking out the bricks you want from the boxes," the winner Xu Jiayuan said.

Those who didn't do so well still believe it's worth the time. Some competitors shared their memories with Lego.

"I have played Lego since I was five-years-old. You can play whatever you want; your own working time is playing. You print the steps in your mind, and you play it quickly to show the others."

"Many people born in the 1980s or 1970s grew up with construction toys and cartoons. So this isn't just a toy for me; it's a tool to make some dreams come true."

Lego is now sold in more than 140 countries. It has inspired a movie and six amusement parks around the world. Organizers say a Legoland park will be built in China, most likely in three or four years.