Previously deemed as nothing more than a way of getting another certificate that might prove useful when it comes to applying to prestigious schools, art education was in the past often marginalized in China's classrooms.

But times are changing now, and so are the mindsets of parents and government officials who are beginning to see art education as an important facet to a child's learning journey.

"Art can teach people to appreciate the beauty in the simplest things and help express one's emotions. It's a process of creative thinking that can cultivate a child's creativity and imagination," says Huang Yue, a mother who a year ago had sent her daughter for art classes at Tomato Art School.

"It's not very important if my child masters the painting techniques. I'm just happy to see that she was happy with the art course," adds Huang.

Tomato Art School recently launched an art competition in partnership with the Gala－Salvador Dali Foundation, encouraging all art lovers aged above 5 in China to showcase their art works.

Shi Jianzhi, president of GymChina Group's Art Education Institute, says that it is very important that people begin their art education young.

"Children of these ages have great powers of imagination and can more easily learn about Dali and surrealism. In fact, they may even discover that the products of their imaginations aren't that different from the work of these artists," says Shi.

Earlier this year, the State Council acknowledged that the aesthetic education curriculum in China's schools was lacking and released guidelines which stipulate that it should be extensively strengthened.

The guidelines also state that a modern aesthetic education system should be established across different education levels, combining classroom teaching and extracurricular activities by 2020.

"Art education is one of most special and basic parts of a person's education experience that comes without any social utilitarianism. It is also a kind of public education and should be opened up to more children and teenagers," says Chen Yidong, president of GymChina Group, the parent company of Tomato Art School.

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