Shanghai Citizen Art Night School: Autumn classes open for expats

After the smash hit of its spring semester, the Shanghai Citizen Art Night School is opening up registration for its autumn semester.

Mark your calendars: registration begins at 10am on August 9.

This time, City News Service is also teaming with the Shanghai Mass Art Center, and offers exclusive registration channels for expats.

1. Click to check the program on the City News Service's website

https://www.citynewsservice.cn/night_school

2. Find the course you like and press "Apply Now", if its your first time on City News Service, you will need to register first.

3. Register on the website

4. After registration, the page will go back to the nine courses, then press "Apply Now." Here you will be directed to each course's details.

Remember, registration starts at 10am on August 9.

Following the popularity of the spring session, new courses such as Acupuncture and Meridians have been added, alongside nine other popular classes including Jiangnan Dim Sum, and Shanghai Dialect.

Classes will be held at areas known for their large expat communities, such as

• The main campus of the Shanghai Mass Art Center
  
• Guangzhong Road Street Center, Hongkou District
  
• Huacao International Community, Minhang District
  
• CCIG International Plaza, Xuhui Distrcit
  

The Huacao International Community is home to over 9,000 expats from nearly 80 countries, making it a true snapshot of Shanghai's international vibe. Even back when it was part of Shanghai County, Huacao Town had made ballroom dancing a signature cultural program.

This fall, the Citizens' Art Night School is offering the "Blackpool" dance course at this location, providing expats with a unique cultural experience and a fun social setting to better integrate into the local community.

This autumn semester also marks the debut of expat instructors, adding a new dimension of cultural exchange.

For instance, the Jing'an Cultural Center branch is introducing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes taught by Ahmet Gurbanov from Turkmenistan. Known as the "gentle art" in martial arts circles, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu combines intelligence and strength.

Coach Ahmet, a former Olympian for Turkmenistan, has been living in China for nearly five years. He has won numerous accolades, including the 2024 Shanghai SJJCF GI gold medal and NO GI gold medal, and the 2023 Shanghai GCJJF GI gold medal and NO GI gold medal. He currently coaches at the Bushido Fight Club.

In addition to courses for foreigners to learn more about Chinese culture and art, the Citizens' Art Night School has also teamed up with a variety of professional troupes, associations, cultural venues, training institutions, and intangible cultural heritage protection units.

For the autumn semester, the Citizens' Art Night School is headquartered at the Shanghai Mass Art Center and has set up 37 branches and 367 teaching points, making a total of 405 locations – nearly 50 percent more than the spring semester.

Starting in early September, classes will begin simultaneously at the main and branch schools and all teaching points.

With this expansion, the Citizens' Art Night School now covers all street and town areas across the city. Parks, buildings, business districts, and other social institutions make up 20 percent of the locations, while cultural centers, libraries, art galleries, museums, and performance troupes account for 80 percent. This means the Citizens' Art Night School is now even closer to your doorstep.

A faculty pool is being established to ensure professional instructors and courses are shared across all locations.