The highly popular Shanghai Citizen Art Night School will kick off its fall semester in early September, offering 2,300 courses for 46,000 students across 600 locations, well beyond its original plans, according to a recent news briefing.

Initially, the program planned to offer 1,800 courses at 500 teaching sites.

"The teaching locations have exceeded our target by 20 percent," said Xu Hao, deputy director of the Shanghai Mass Art Center, the main organizer and venue of the program. "The total number of courses has surpassed our goal by 27.78 percent."

Enrollment for the fall semester will open at 10 am on Aug 3.

New daytime program introduced

To meet growing demand and serve a broader range of citizens — including working professionals, retirees, stay-at-home mothers, and students — the Shanghai Mass Art Center is launching a new daytime program, offering 238 courses at 78 locations, with capacity to accommodate nearly 6,000 students.

Open to residents aged 18 to 70, the daytime program follows the same operational model and partnership approach as the night school, with each 12-session course priced at 500 yuan ($70).

Courses and instructors are selected from the existing night school curriculum, falling into three categories:

• Morning classes that cater to seniors and full-time mothers, and are typically held in community centers or residential hubs.
• Lunchtime sessions, typically lasting one hour, are designed for working professionals and hosted in office buildings, industrial parks, and commercial areas popular during lunch hours.
• Afternoon sessions take advantage of high-quality spaces that are available during off-peak times.

The daytime program features a wide range of course offerings. For example, the Jiading District Cultural Center hosts a popular singing class designed for seniors, while Minhang district offers courses such as speed sketching, anime character drawing, and decorative nail art.

Intangible cultural heritage courses are also available. In Jinshan district, a one-hour lunchtime course titled Jinshan Homespun Handicraft is taught by an inheritor of traditional weaving techniques, encouraging participants to blend modern design ideas with traditional homespun fabric.

Night school continues to expand

Xu also noted that this year's Citizen Art Night School has expanded into an array of venues, including professional studios, commercial spaces, and tourist destinations.

New courses on artificial intelligence have been added, covering topics such as AI fundamentals, AI for education, AI for seniors, and creative uses of AI in drawing and video.

There's also something for pet lovers. Courses include how to make cakes for pets, catering to families with furry friends.

Weekend aesthetic education classes return

The weekend Aesthetic Education Classroom program will launch 242 courses across 73 teaching sites in 16 districts, offering cultural enrichment opportunities for teenagers and families throughout the city.

Registration dates

• Night school: Opens at 10 am on Aug 3
• Day program: Opens at 12 pm on Aug 4
• Weekend aesthetic classes: Opens at 10 am on Aug 8

All classes are set to begin in early September.

Source: Shanghai Observer