6-Day Xi'an High School Study Tour: Silk Road & Terracotta

This is an inquiry-based programme rather than a guided tour with worksheets stapled on. Students arrive with a question about the Silk Road, spend five days gathering evidence — at the Terracotta Army, in the Xi'an Museum, on a Hui street survey and in a craft workshop — and answer it in a presentation on the last morning. The standardisation exercise at the Terracotta Army is the intellectual center: how did a Qin workshop make thousands of bronze triggers interchangeable? Two teachers travel free of the land cost.

• Open with a Silk Road briefing and a group research question, so every site visit feeds the final presentation.
• Run a standardisation analysis of the Terracotta Army's bronze weapons and figure construction with museum education staff.
• Simulate a Silk Road trade negotiation, with each team holding different goods, currencies and route constraints.
• Design and carry out a short street survey in the Hui quarter of Xi'an, then debate the evidence as a class.
• Measure a section of the Ming city wall and record it properly, an introduction to survey method rather than a photo stop.
• Learn paper-cutting and Huaxian shadow puppetry from working craftspeople, then compare two inheritance models.
• Present findings, receive feedback and close with certificates before departure.

• 5 nights hotels, good 4-star or equivalent, twin share with daily breakfast (5 nights in Xi'an)
• Meals as listed in the itinerary, with dietary requirements and allergies arranged in advance
• Private air-conditioned coach with licensed driver throughout, plus airport or station transfers on arrival and departure
• Professional English-speaking guide throughout the programme
• All entrance fees to the sites named in the itinerary, including the Terracotta Army Museum, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the Xi'an Museum, the Muslim Quarter, the Ming city wall, the Stele Forest Museum and a Huaxian shadow puppet workshop, with shuttle buses and cable cars merged into the ticket price where the site requires them
• Study materials, record sheets and a printed reader for the programme
• Two accompanying teachers free of the land programme cost, amortised into the student price
• Travel insurance at 30 CNY per person per day
• Luggage handling where group size requires it
• Bottled water, tour headsets where group size requires them, and local handling services
• All government taxes and service charges as itemised in the quotation

• International air tickets to and from China, and any domestic flights or high-speed rail fares not listed in the itinerary
• China visa fees, invitation letters and any documentation costs
• Meals and drinks not listed in the itinerary, including all alcoholic beverages
• Optional evening performances, additional excursions and any activity not named in the itinerary
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping and personal items
• Gratuities for guides and drivers (entirely at your discretion)
• Anything not expressly listed under “What is included”
• Costs arising from events beyond our control, such as flight delays, weather, or changes to opening hours or site access

Frequently asked questions

How does the research project actually work?

Students are grouped before arrival and given one of four questions on trade, technology, belief or craft. Each day produces evidence for one of them, and the last morning is presentations. Teachers receive the framework two weeks ahead so it can be tied to their own syllabus.

Is the programme suitable for a mixed-ability group?

Yes. Tasks are tiered: the survey and craft sessions work at any level, the standardisation exercise has an extension track for stronger students. Tell us the year group and we set the level before arrival.

How much supervision do you provide?

Your teachers remain responsible for supervision and discipline throughout. Our guide handles instruction, logistics and interpretation. We carry public liability insurance and a written risk assessment for every site on the route, supplied to the school before departure.

What is included for teachers?

Two teachers travel free of the land programme cost, amortised into the student price. Quotations are built for 16, 20 or 30 students; additional staff are charged at the student rate.