8-Day China Study Tour: Beijing & Xi'an Archaeology Programme

Arrival — Welcome to Beijing
Upon landing at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), your dedicated guide will greet you in the arrivals area just outside the luggage claim, holding a sign that clearly displays your name. A private vehicle will transfer you to your hotel, and your guide will assist with check-in and offer a brief orientation. After your long flight, take a well-deserved rest and relax.

Evening — Flexible Evening
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure as you settle in after your journey.

Accommodation
Your guide assists with check-in at your hotel in Beijing.

Morning — Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square ranks among the largest public squares in the world, and in imperial times it served as the entrance to the imperial city, used for issuing royal edicts and for grand celebrations such as imperial weddings. Stroll from the square to the Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum, which served as the residence of 24 emperors and their households and as the ceremonial and political heart of the imperial government. Beyond its magnificent architecture, you can uncover the stories of the royal household that lived within its walls.

Afternoon — Hutong Tour
The hutongs, akin to a maze, are historic alleyways lined with countless traditional courtyard houses, and in many locals' minds Beijing is inextricably linked with them. These lanes serve as a living museum of folk customs, bearing witness to the city's past. You can stroll on foot, rent a bicycle, or hire a rickshaw to explore them, and on this tour you will wander the narrow alleys and join the dumpling-making process with a local family at home. As an optional activity, you can also learn to paint a Peking Opera face mask from a skilled artisan.

Evening — Peking Roast Duck
In the evening, you will savor an authentic Peking Roast Duck dinner at a renowned restaurant.

Morning — Temple of Heaven and Tai Chi
The Temple of Heaven stands as a masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture and is the largest religious complex in the world dedicated to heaven worship, where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties performed rituals to pray for good harvests. Its circular halls and landscaped grounds are a marvel of design and symbolism. Visiting at dawn reveals a surprising number of locals engaging in morning exercises, and you can watch and join them in practicing Tai Chi, experiencing the serene rhythm of daily life in Beijing.

Cultural Insight
The complex was completed in 1420, and its Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a circular timber structure built without a single nail, has become a symbol of the city.

Afternoon — Mutianyu Great Wall
A visit to the Great Wall is a must on any itinerary. Among the best-preserved sections, Mutianyu once served as a formidable northern defense protecting the capital and the imperial tombs, with a history spanning over 1,400 years. Surrounded by lush grasslands and dense forests, it is often called the most beautiful part of the Wall, and the area resembles a garden perched atop a mountain. You can hike the most stunning stretch between Towers 14 and 20, or take the cable car up and down for convenience.

Evening — Water Cube and Bird's Nest
After such a long hike, the evening schedule is more relaxed: on the way back to your hotel you will pass the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest, both landmarks of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Morning — The Summer Palace
With its magnificent buildings, charming scenery, and tumultuous history, the Summer Palace is a wonderful place to explore. Originally an imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty, it was later extensively expanded and renovated under the direction of Empress Dowager Cixi, who spent summers here, entertained guests, and received foreign envoys. Stroll the Long Corridor, a painted gallery that ends at the Marble Boat, and climb Longevity Hill for sweeping views over the lake and the surrounding Fragrant Hills.

Afternoon — High-Speed Train to Xi'an
After lunch, you will board the high-speed train for a journey of 1,216 kilometers to Xi'an. About four hours later you will arrive at Xi'an North Railway Station, where your driver and guide will greet you and transfer you to your hotel.

Evening — Arrival in Xi'an
After check-in, you can take a rest or take an easy walk around the city at your leisure.

Accommodation
Your guide assists with check-in at your hotel in Xi'an.

Morning — The Mausoleum with a Researcher
Visit the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, where a museum researcher walks you through Pits 1, 2 and 3 and the Bronze Chariots. The focus is archaeological: the design logic of the mausoleum, the arrangement of the military array, and what the excavation record can and cannot tell us.

Afternoon — Cultural Relic Restoration Workshop
Enter the restoration workshop and work alongside professional conservators: reassemble pottery fragments, clean corrosion from bronze. You learn quickly how much patience heritage preservation takes.

Evening — Seminar: The Significance of Qin's Unification
Group discussion on the historical significance of Qin's unification of China, analysing the rise of the Qin empire and what it left behind, guided by your instructors.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Accommodation
Study base: standard twin room with private bathroom, air conditioning and hot water

Morning — Silk Road Artefacts at the Xi'an Museum
Study the Silk Road holdings at the Xi'an Museum: Tang objects from abroad, the evidence of cultural fusion, and Xi'an's position as the road's starting point.

Afternoon — Hui Muslim Street Survey
Run a cultural survey on Hui Muslim Street: investigate the relationship between halal food culture and Silk Road trade, and interview merchants about how the old spice routes are still alive in their shops.

Evening — The Belt and Road Debate
A structured debate: 'Ancient Silk Road vs. Modern Belt and Road', exploring how historical experience informs contemporary international cooperation.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Accommodation
Study base: standard twin room with private bathroom, air conditioning and hot water

Morning — Surveying the City Wall
Walk the ancient city wall with measuring tools, recording wall thickness, height and the spacing of the watchtowers, then analyse the spatial layout and military logic of the defence system.

Afternoon — The Stele Forest and Calligraphy
Visit the Stele Forest to study masterworks of calligraphy through the ages, then work under a professional calligrapher on traditional rubbing and brush technique.

Evening — Preparing the Final Presentation
Groups compile their research findings and prepare the materials for the closing presentation.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Accommodation
Study base: standard twin room with private bathroom, air conditioning and hot water

Morning — Presentations and Closing Ceremony
Each research group delivers its presentation and shows its results. Instructors give feedback and distribute the study tour completion certificates.

Afternoon — Transfer to the Airport
Private transfer to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport for your departure flight.

Evening — Departure
Fly home with the notes, the rubbings and the certificates.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch included.