In Western countries, women and men, young and old, enroll in adult education for different reasons. This is even more the case in China. This study helps Shanghai program planners better appreciate learners by understanding how motivational orientations vary as a function of gender and age. The Chinese version of the Education Participation Scale was administered to 448 adults enrolled in Shanghai adult education classes. It had a factor structure loosely comparable to the English version. Women were more inclined than men to be enrolled for social stimulation, social contact and cognitive interest. However, gender differences were less pronounced than those for age. The Cultural Revolution and pressures of market socialism in postmodern Shanghai appeared to shape motivational orientations of participants who came of age between 1966 and 1976. Just the fact that learners were asked about motivational orientations may change the politics of human subjectivity in Shanghai adult education.