Cultural Night School: A Novel Approach for Enhancing Public Access to Cultural Services

Abstract

The provision of high-quality and flexible public cultural services has been a hot topic in China. A promising solution might be the innovative cultural night school model introduced in Shanghai. Each “semester” of the night school spans approximately 2 months, during which participants can select from an array of online and offline courses. Course topics encompass a broad spectrum, ranging from traditional arts such as calligraphy, dance, Taichi, and painting to contemporary subjects like makeup artistry, pastry-making, and AI applications. Initiated by the Shanghai Public Art Museum and supported by public cultural institutions and social forces, the night school not only caters to young people seeking cultural enrichment after work, but also broadens its scope by offering specialized courses for the elderly and advanced training programs for those aspiring to deepen their knowledge and skills beyond the basics. Course fees are set around several hundreds of Chinese RMB, significantly lower than market rates. People can browse the course information through WeChat applications and culture cloud platforms and register for the courses online. More interestingly, the night school has implemented a “leave” system to ensure that participants can attend classes punctually, thereby enhancing the overall learning experience. Keyword: cultural night school; public cultural service; Shanghai