Day 1 – Arrival & Welcome to Ancient China

• Arrival in Xi'an and airport transfer to hotel

• Welcome briefing: “Xi’an – China’s ancient capital”

• Ice-breaker activities and orientation

• First impressions walk in the local area

• Evening meal and early night to recover from travel

Day 2 – Ancient City Life & Exploration

• Exploration of the historic centre of Xi'an

• Introduction to Xi’an as an imperial capital

• Focus on:

  Daily life in ancient cities

  Urban layout and design

• Interactive activities and observation tasks walking through one of China’s oldest urban environments

• Evening visit to the Muslim Quarter

• Street food experience and cultural exploration

• Group dinner in a lively market setting experiencing Xi’an’s food culture and night-time atmosphere

Day 3 – Terracotta Army: Power & Storytelling

• Visit to the Terracotta Army

• Focus on:

  Imperial power and the First Emperor

  Archaeology and historical discovery

• Interactive learning:

  Why was it built?

  What does it tell us about leadership and belief?

• Sketching, photography and quiz-style challenges seeing one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world

• Evening at the hotel

Day 4 – City Walls, Defence & Hands-On History

• Walk along the Xi'an City Wall

• Focus on:

  Defence, protection and city planning

• Supervised cycling experience on the City Wall

• Guided discussion on how ancient cities were designed

• Evening dumpling-making workshop

• Group meal as part of the workshop experience, learning traditional skills and sharing food together
  

Day 5 – Design Your Own Ancient City

• Visit to a cultural or open public space within Xi'an

• Creative project:

  Design your own ancient city

• Students work in teams to:

  Plan city layout (walls, markets, temples)

  Consider defence, trade and daily life

• Sketching and model planning activities

• Short, fun student presentations creating and presenting their own ancient city designs

• Evening visit to Datang Everbright City

• Light displays, performances and street atmosphere

• Group dinner in a vibrant cultural setting experiencing Xi’an’s history brought to life through lights and performance

Day 6 – Religion, Trade & Cultural Exchange

• Visit to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda

• Focus on:

  Buddhism, belief and storytelling

  The Silk Road and cultural exchange

• Exploration of surrounding areas

• Cultural scavenger hunt and observation tasks

• Evening food exploration and night market visit

• Group dinner in a local restaurant or street food setting experiencing the sights, sounds and flavours of Xi’an at night

Day 7 – Culture, Performance & Celebration

• Visit to a local museum or cultural centre

• Student reflection:

  Favourite site

  Biggest surprise about China

• Tang Dynasty music and dance performance

• Farewell celebratory group dinner in a traditional setting

  experiencing ancient culture through performance and celebration

Day 8 – Departure

• Final reflections and certificates

• Programme close

• Transfer to airport

• Return to the UK