Choice available

Office workers are not the only ones seeking self-improvement at night schools.

Wu, who joined the makeup class in Beijing, said one of her classmates is a mother who knew nothing about makeup before enrolling in the course.

The mother decided to take the lessons after her child praised her appearance when she wore makeup to attend a parent-teacher meeting.

Wu said: "My classmate hoped to show a more energetic side of herself, so she decided to learn makeup. She is very serious about it.

"I thought that those learning makeup skills would mainly be young office workers, but many of them are mothers. That impressed me a lot."

Students can enroll for different types of night schools. The first type has been established through coordination with local governments, community organizations, village committees, and training institutions.

However, Yang, founder of the night school in Beijing, said these institutions with official backgrounds, such as cultural activity centers, are limited in number, have relatively fixed class times, and cannot meet young people's diverse needs.

This has resulted in the emergence of another type of night school run by individuals or teams, who act as intermediaries by connecting students with institutions, and earn a proportion of the enrollment fee. These schools are major players in the market.

Wang said, "These new night schools are currently thriving, but are still in the early stages of development.

"Everyone is exploring uncharted territory in the hope of establishing a comprehensive and smooth operational system that covers courses, pricing, faculty, and after-sales support to foster positive growth and attract and retain young learners' enthusiasm."

Jiang, from Nanchang, said operational challenges are increasing as the number of night school students continues to rise.

"Only when this trend passes can high-quality night schools with unified standards be better sustained," he said.