Night school enriches lives of young people in E China's Shandong

Libraries, cultural centers, and community organizations in Jinan city, east China's Shandong Province have launched various night schools, and taking part in these programs has become a fashionable trend for the city's youth.

The night schools offer courses in areas like AI office skills, short video editing, dancing, vocal music, intangible cultural heritage handicrafts, beauty, fitness, calligraphy and floral art.

① : Students learn makeup at a night school of Jinan Library of Jinan city, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Zhu Zheng)

② : Night school students copy The Starry Night, a painting by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. (Photo/Kong Deming)

③ : Night school students learn the basic knowledge of woodworking under the teacher's guidance. (Photo/Guo Liangnan)

④ : A teacher shares knowledge about AI with students at a night school class. (Photo/Kong Deming)

High demand

Every Thursday at 8 p.m., the classroom for the short video editing course at the Jinan Library is always full of students practicing short video production and editing under the guidance of a teacher. The class's atmosphere is relaxed and lively, and students demonstrate their deep interest in the subject by continuing to ask the teacher questions after class.

Wen Cong, who works in the real estate industry, attends the class because it teaches skills required for her work. "I've never received professional instruction on the subject, so I've always felt that I've needed to improve my skills," she said.

Besides giving her needed professional development, the course also enables her to make better use of her free time. "In the past, after work, I would just lie down at home and spend time on my phone the whole evening," she said.

Night schools, which used to be popular in the 1980s as a way to educate during non-working hours, experienced a decline with the expansion of higher education and the development of internet technology. Recently, however, night schools have regained favor among young people.

In November 2023, Jinan Library conducted a survey to solicit citizens for their preferences for night school courses and received over 3,000 responses. "The first batch of courses were determined according to the survey results," said Li Dehu, director of the cultural activities department at the library.

On Dec. 28, 2023, the library rolled out its first batch of nine courses including makeup classes for beginners, coffee tasting and making, and home organization. Some 19,000 citizens competed online for 270 enrollment spots. Those who didn't secure spots left messages asking for more courses.

Statistics show that the students attending the first batch of night school courses came from diverse backgrounds, including teachers and social media content creators.

Integration of resources and mutual learning

This year, to meet the demands of citizens, Jinan's Culture and Tourism Bureau integrated resources from public libraries and cultural centers across the city.

The imitative has improved its course offerings, campus locations, and faculty. After expanding teaching locations, citizens can now attend night school at professional institutions or nearby popular cultural venues.

The Jinan Library as part of the initiative offered 58 courses, with over 2,100 attendees. The Jinan Cultural Center offered over 30 night school courses, attracting nearly 1,000 students.

According to Zhang Junshan, deputy head of Jinan Cultural Center, this year the center added fitness classes and classes teaching traditional Chinese medicine wellness. The center also increased the number of teaching locations.

Zhang Ming, who has been a makeup artist for 13 years, immediately accepted the offer when invited to teach at the cultural center. "Sharing my knowledge with young people after a day's work is very fulfilling," she said.

The makeup course includes eight sessions. Each starts at 7 p.m. every Wednesday and lasts for one and a half hours. Most of the students were born in the 1980s and 1990s, with a small number of students born after the year 2000.

"When explaining makeup techniques, I demonstrate on half of a student's face, letting the student complete the other half," she said. Zhang Ming added that her daytime job is doing makeup for broadcasters, which often puts her in a tense state, but she finds teaching at night school relaxing and enjoyable.

Instructors for the initiative's programs are comprised of professionals from cultural centers, teachers, and part-time teachers. Part-time teachers are chosen from a pool of teachers that are screened for quality, ensuring the best of the best.

Popular and well-received

In communities with a large proportion of young people, night schools are particularly popular.

According to Li Lihong, secretary of the Party branch of Fenghuang Guoji neighborhood, the neighborhood includes several commercial areas, and the residents are mostly young entrepreneurs. The night school initiated by the community has become a new platform for young people to relax, acquire skills, and make friends after work.

Li added that considering the diverse needs of the youth, they must offer courses that are flexible and have varied content. Each course is scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. on weekdays, with one class per week.

Moving forward, the neighborhood plans to continuously gather feedback from young people, adjust course content, and increase the number of available seats. Currently, courses in traditional Chinese medicine, makeup, calligraphy, and short videos are being planned.

In the Jinan Innovation Zone, a graduation ceremony took place for a night school's coffee course. The students showcased the coffee making skills they acquired, filling the air with the rich aroma of coffee.

"At first, I enrolled in the night school to pass the time, but I never expected to learn so much about coffee and learn the skills needed to perform latte art. I also made friends with a group of classmates who share my passion for coffee and a love for life," said Gao Chang. Gao, a designer, plans to continue her study at the night school to become a professional barista.

"Established in last October, the youth night school in the Jinan Innovation Zone has set up three locations, serving 860 young people," said Li Lu, an official of the high-tech zone.