EMBRACING the hustle of the day and the thrill of learning by night has become the latest trend among young people across China, especially in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

From mastering musical instruments, dance moves, painting strokes, and photography skills to delving into beauty techniques, Cantonese dialects, and even trying their hand at stand-up comedy or floriculture, acquiring new skills has become an appealing way for young people to enrich their lives while expanding their social circle.

In response to this burgeoning demand, the Shenzhen Youth Academy launched the Youth Night School on March 19, aiming to create a space where education, entertainment, and socializing seamlessly intersect.

The Youth Night School, currently in a trial phase, offers a range of free courses including mobile photography, board games, stand-up comedy, and floriculture. Each course consists of four classes as planned, and each class has a maximum capacity of 25 students.

“The courses turned out to be particularly popular after the application process was open. We negotiated with the teachers and have moderately increased the number of spots in each class,” a source with the academy told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.

In Shenzhen, districts such as Futian and Bao’an have also hopped onto the night school bandwagon, establishing their own versions of youth night schools since the latter half of last year. These schools offer a diverse array of interest-driven courses tailored to the specific needs of young individuals.

Since its inception in September last year, the Futian Youth Night School has offered more than 130 courses, attracting over 10,000 participants. However, the demand for these courses continues to outstrip supply, the Daily report said.

“We didn’t anticipate such overwhelming popularity when we first launched the youth night school,” said Huang Huayu, one of the principals at the Bao’an Youth Palace.

Originally offering courses like guitar, ukulele, and African drums, the Bao’an Youth Night School has since expanded its offerings to include martial arts, piano, speech, and elocution, with this year’s courses specifically tailored to meet the evolving needs of young people.

So far, the Bao’an Youth Night School has established six WeChat groups and boasts a youth night school community of over 1,000 people. Nearly 600 students have been recruited.

The popularity of youth night schools reflects the growing cultural needs of today’s younger generations, according to the Daily report. While night schools in the 1970s and 1980s primarily focused on enhancing the educational qualifications of middle-aged and young Chinese individuals, today’s iteration serves as a dynamic platform for cultivating hobbies and forging meaningful connections.

“Night school is like a school club where one can not only nurture hobbies, but also make many like-minded friends,” said a woman surnamed Zheng, who is in her 20s.

She said that night schools are different from conventional training programs. At a night school, each class costs only several tens of yuan on average, making it a more affordable alternative compared to for-profit training institutions.

(Zhang Yu)