Young people enrolling in night school to expand horizons

The students, aged 18 to over 40, come from all walks of life and include college students, civil servants, teachers, doctors, bankers, journalists, factory workers, housewives and freelancers.

"We wanted to establish a platform for young people to have fun, improve their knowledge and skills, expand social connections and be involved in city management," she said.

As nonprofit programs run by public institutions, many night schools invite top teachers and professionals from various fields to give high-quality lessons.

Guanyinqiao Youth Night School is located in Chongqing's vibrant Jiangbei district, where a lot of the municipality's nightlife is.

Since opening in August last year, more than 400 night courses have been organized in 19 communities throughout Guanyinqiao subdistrict in Jiangbei.

"Attending night school has reignited my long-lost motivation for learning. Not only can I break the bad habit of staying at home and just scrolling through my phone after work, but I can also acquire new skills and more like-minded friends," said Fu Xiaofeng, a student at the school.

For Fu, 32, an administrator at a local hospital, Wulidian Hezuocun Night School in Jiangbei is an ideal place to spend the nighttime.

She said the courses that she has signed up for — Chinese calligraphy and boxing — cost 50 yuan ($6.92) each, and are affordable and worthwhile.

"It opens another door for me. I feel fulfilled and enjoy balancing both learning and entertainment by meeting people from different backgrounds and with the same hobbies," she said.

Huang Jianhua, a professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Southwest University in Chongqing, pointed out that the rapid development of youth night schools across the country confirms German sociologist Hartmut Rosa's analysis of social acceleration.

"Scientific and technological progress has promoted the rapid development of society, but it has also sped up the pace of our life and work," she said.

"Our time is squeezed and everyone becomes anxious, lost and conscious. It is very hard for us to slow down and concentrate on one thing at a time."

Fu said young Chinese are facing many problems in the fast-developing society, and one of them is the inability to communicate with others.

"The popularity of night schools means that they are still seeking a better life despite their spare time being limited," she said.

"It is very good that the government is promoting night school programs, and I hope they can last as long as possible."

The professor also noted the higher proportion of women in the classes.

"In some classes, the male-to-female ratio was as much as 1:9," she said. "I think it is because many women feel more pressure and have less time to themselves, as some may have two or three children nowadays. So they attend night schools to make themselves better and make their lives more balanced."