“Guess which saves more space? Folding your clothes or hanging them in the closet?” asked Li Jing as she took out various hangers. “Actually, as long as you divide your wardrobe into a long clothing zone and a short clothing zone according to your dressing habit, you’ll find that hanging them is much more convenient and space saving,” she said to her evening class of over 20 attentive young people.

Her “students” were all full-time workers living in Beijing. As a professional clothes organizer and founder of the Sheyu Tidying Academy, Li was invited by the Qinghe Night School in the locality to give a lecture on how to keep one’s closets neat and tidy and how to declutter by getting rid of old clothes. Her talk kicked off the night school’s first semester.

The school, set up this year jointly by the local branch of the Communist Youth League of China and a community youth club, offers a wide range of courses. Some are conventional, like traditional handicrafts, beauty and fitness, and Chinese calligraphy, and some are unusual, like meditation therapy and Li’s lesson. They are taught by experienced instructors at an affordable RMB 170-600 per 10 classes, which adds to their attraction.

Young people learn how to skateboard at a local youth night school in Shenyang on September 5, 2024.

How Messy Are You?

“Use the simplest method to achieve the best results. This is the philosophy of tidying and organizing clothes,” Li told her first class. Her life aesthetics lesson, “Never Mess Again – Organizing Hacks (Wardrobe Chapter),” had both theoretical explanations and hands-on demonstrations.

Li told her students that wardrobes are often the “hardest-hit areas” in every household. By designing the shape, position and sections of their wardrobes, everyone can create a beautiful and unique wardrobe space for themselves.

“We can use the four-quadrant classification to establish four categories: commonly used, infrequently used, liked, and disliked items. Then everything will become very clear,” she said.

Subsequently, she encouraged the students to get started by arranging the clothing and accessories on the cards she had brought according to their applicable season, style, occasion, and color.

“I love this class. Spending a small amount of time learning how to organize and store my clothes can save me time to do more things I love!” said Wang Yan, one of the night class students.

Wang said her wardrobe at home was simply “unbearable” as she had no concept of sorting and organizing her clothes. “Today’s class has been particularly beneficial to me. Now I have a system to sort out and organize my wardrobe, and even my life,” she said.

At 9 pm when the course ended, many students still lingered, asking further questions.

Learning without Limits

These night schools, with their affordable prices, flexible courses and diverse choices, have become popular among young people seeking to recharge themselves after work in big cities. One reason for the popularity is the new concept of lifelong learning and the widening boundaries of the traditional education system. Here, there are no age or career boundaries, only a thirst for knowledge and a longing for a better self.

Across Beijing, a variety of night schools are offering a wide range of classes for young adults. “Working during daytime and honing favored skills after work” has become trendy. Due to their affordability, the seats are snapped up soon after registration starts.

For many young students, the courses not only teach them life skills, but also help them make friends.

Night school goers shared their experience on social media and e-commerce platform Xiaohongshu.

“In the past, I would often surf on my phone in bed until late at night, which not only made me feel empty, but also affected my physical health,” said one user who was currently attending a night class on running social media accounts. “Night schools provide me with a new social scene where I can meet like-minded people.”

Night schools have also bloomed in other cities across China.

The autumn classes of the Shanghai Citizen Art Night School have begun. This year, the classes are being held at the Shanghai Mass Art Museum. The school has 36 branches, offering over 1,000 courses to nearly 25,000 students.

“My mom and her friends have enrolled and she has learned a lot. She used to know nothing about how to make bread or cakes, but since taking baking classes at this night school, she is now a baking master. There are really many night schools in Shanghai where you can learn things,” said a netizen on Xiaohongshu.

In Chengdu, the night schools are offering yet more trendier courses, like boxing, pop singing, DJing, rapping and how to wear make-up. The Chengdu All-age School went viral on its launch for its popular courses. This night school offers 20 subjects and has nearly 350 students aged 18-55, making it the biggest night school in Chengdu.

More than a Hobby

In southwest China’s Chongqing City, a night school offers entrepreneurship training to facilitate employment.

Min’an Huafu is one of the largest government-subsidized low-rent housing neighborhoods in Chongqing, with 54 buildings housing 19,000 households. It’s known for its large number of migrant workers, people with only primary and junior high school education, low-income families and people facing employment difficulties, such as the disabled.

A night school was established there in 2021 with the support of the Federation of Trade Unions of Jiulongpo District to provide employment and entrepreneurship skills training. The 14 training courses cover topics such as media operations, beauticians’ work, Internet marketing, and employment adaptability. By now, 519 people have participated in the training, with 283 having obtained vocational skill certificates. What’s more, lawyers are invited to explain the laws relevant to the community so that they understand the laws and abide by them, as well as use the law to protect their legitimate rights and interests.

Not only in big cities, night schools were also mushrooming in small counties. The affordable citizen night schools across China owe their success partly to the support and efforts of governments at all levels. The challenge in the long run is how to pool resources and meet the needs of various age groups.