Night schools becoming popular in China

For many youngsters in China, working during the day and taking classes at night are becoming a new way of life. Night schools have become popular in major cities across the country.

In March, Shanghai Citizen Night School for Arts launched 680 courses for the spring semester, attracting 730,000 students to online classes, according to a Xinhua News Agency report. As of May, Wuhan Youth Night School has served more than 8,000 students with 228 courses. The night school classes range from tango, street photography, hand-brewed coffee, to graffiti psychology, intangible craftsmanship, and mineral identification and collection.

"Unlike night schools of the past that mostly imparted knowledge to offer diplomas, nowadays night schools tend to provide interest-oriented courses, featuring artistic and cultural pursuits," said Chen Yunzhe, chief expert of the Jiangsu Youth Development Research Base.

Apart from the rich course variety, the relaxed atmosphere also helps night schools regain vitality.

"The relaxed learning atmosphere is a factor behind the popularity of night schools. Also, night schools are a great places to acquire new skills, develop new hobbies and make new friends," said Shi Yuanyu, a graduate from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts who set up a night school with his classmates in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, last year.