Chinese Culture & Heritage: Xi’an Cultural Study Tours
Our Xi’an cultural study tours are for groups who want to spend a short program on traditional Chinese arts and the history of the city. Depending on the itinerary, students take hands-on classes in guqin, tea culture and calligraphy on the campus of Xi’an International University, and visit Xi’an’s historic sites in between. There are four itineraries, from 3 to 10 days.
What Students Learn
This theme is about culture rather than language. Every itinerary includes some Chinese, but as an introduction rather than a course. If your main aim is learning Chinese, see our Chinese Language & Culture theme.
Workshops in traditional arts
Every itinerary in this theme includes a guqin workshop, and most pair it with a talk on music of the Tang-era Silk Road and its links with ancient Middle Eastern music. Most also include a tea culture session, where students taste flower and green teas, with an explanation of traditional etiquette. Two also include a calligraphy class.
Learning on site visits
Site visits are part of every itinerary, and several of them come with a talk on a set topic. Every itinerary visits the Terracotta Army, with a talk on Qin-dynasty sculpture and ancient Silk Road transport. On most, a cycle ride or walk through the old city comes with a talk on how ancient Chang’an was planned and the ideas of order behind its layout. Most also visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Da Ci’en Temple and the Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City, a Tang-themed pedestrian street.
An introduction to Chinese
Every itinerary includes some Chinese: most have one introductory lesson in simple everyday Chinese, and the longest has three Chinese lessons. The lessons introduce the language alongside the arts; they are not a structured language course.
The 10-Day Camp: Silk Road and China–Arab Exchange
One itinerary in this theme has a different emphasis. Alongside Chinese lessons, a guqin workshop and a tea culture session, the 10-Day Chinese Language & Silk Road Camp includes three cross-cultural lectures in English: “The Overland Silk Road: A History of Exchange between Chang’an and Arab Civilization”, drawing on relics of Arab merchants at the Tang West Market; “China–Saudi Economic and Trade Relations and Cross-Border Trade under the Belt and Road”; and “Muslim Life in China and the Hui Muslim Culture of Xi’an”.
The visits follow the same thread: a study visit to the Tang West Market Museum on relics of Arab and Persian merchants of the Tang dynasty, and the Muslim Quarter, visiting the local Muslim community to learn about Chinese Islamic folk culture. The itinerary also has a gentle exercise class of simplified tai chi and baduanjin.
The 7-Day Chinese Culture Camp also includes the first of these lectures, with the visit to the Tang West Market Museum.
Classes in This Theme
These are the classes used across the four itineraries. They are a menu rather than a fixed set: each itinerary has its own selection, shown in the last column.
| Class | In this theme | Itineraries |
|---|---|---|
| Guqin | A hands-on workshop; on most itineraries, with a talk on Tang-era Silk Road music | 3, 5, 7 and 10 days |
| Chinese Tea Art | Tea tasting, with traditional etiquette explained | 5, 7 and 10 days |
| Calligraphy | A hands-on class | 7 and 10 days |
| Chinese Language | An introductory lesson in simple everyday Chinese; three Chinese lessons on the 10-day itinerary | 3, 5, 7 and 10 days |
| Tai Chi & Martial Arts | A gentle exercise class of simplified tai chi and baduanjin, not a martial arts class | 10 days |
Four Itineraries, 3 to 10 Days
3 days
3-Day Chinese Culture Camp
- Day 1: arrival and check-in; campus tour; opening ceremony and an introductory Chinese lesson (simple everyday Chinese).
- Day 2: the Terracotta Army, with a talk on Qin-dynasty sculpture and ancient Silk Road transport; the Xi’an City Wall by bike or on foot; the Muslim Quarter in the evening.
- Day 3: a guqin and Chinese music appreciation workshop, then the closing ceremony; departure.
5 days
5-Day Chinese Culture Camp
- Day 1: arrival and check-in.
- Day 2: opening ceremony and campus tour, with an introductory Chinese lesson (simple everyday Chinese); the city wall and the Bell and Drum Towers, by bike or on foot, with a talk on how ancient Chang’an was planned; the Muslim Quarter in the evening.
- Day 3: a guqin workshop with a talk on Tang-era Silk Road music; the Terracotta Army, with a talk on Qin-dynasty sculpture and ancient Silk Road transport.
- Day 4: a tea culture session and the closing ceremony; the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Da Ci’en Temple and the Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City.
- Day 5: departure.
7 days
7-Day Chinese Culture Camp
- Day 1: arrival and check-in.
- Day 2: opening ceremony and campus tour; a guqin workshop with a talk on Tang-era Silk Road music.
- Day 3: an introductory Chinese lesson (simple everyday Chinese); the city wall and the Bell and Drum Towers, with a cycle ride through the old city and a talk on how ancient Chang’an was planned; the Muslim Quarter in the evening.
- Day 4: a lecture in English on the overland Silk Road and Chang’an’s exchange with Arab civilization; the Tang West Market Museum.
- Day 5: a tea culture session; the Terracotta Army, with a talk on Qin-dynasty sculpture and ancient Silk Road transport.
- Day 6: a calligraphy class and the closing ceremony; the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Da Ci’en Temple and the Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City.
- Day 7: departure.
10 days
10-Day Chinese Language & Silk Road Camp
- Day 1: arrival and check-in.
- Day 2: a guqin workshop with a talk on Tang-era Silk Road music.
- Day 3: a Chinese lesson; the city wall and the Bell and Drum Towers, with a cycle ride through the old city and a talk on how ancient Chang’an was planned.
- Day 4: a lecture on the overland Silk Road and Chang’an’s exchange with Arab civilization; the Tang West Market Museum.
- Day 5: a calligraphy class; the Terracotta Army, with a talk on Qin-dynasty sculpture and ancient Silk Road transport.
- Day 6: a lecture on China–Saudi trade and the Belt and Road; a tea culture session.
- Day 7: a Chinese lesson; the Muslim Quarter.
- Day 8: a lecture on Muslim life in China and Hui Muslim culture in Xi’an; a gentle exercise class of simplified tai chi and baduanjin.
- Day 9: a Chinese lesson and the closing ceremony; the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Da Ci’en Temple and the Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City.
- Day 10: departure.
Price on request. Each itinerary page has the full day-by-day plan.
Tailored to Your Group
Theme, duration and content can be tailored in advance. If you want more time in workshops, a different mix of historic sites, or a length that sits between our set itineraries, tell us when you inquire and we will suggest an itinerary.
Questions About This Theme
Do students learn Chinese on these itineraries?
Yes, but only as an introduction. Most itineraries have one introductory lesson in simple everyday Chinese, and the longest has three Chinese lessons. The classes table and the itinerary cards show which. For a structured language course, see Chinese Language & Culture.
Is the 10-day camp a general culture tour?
Not quite. It keeps the workshops and site visits, but adds three English-language lectures on the Silk Road, China–Saudi trade and Muslim culture in Xi’an. It suits groups with an interest in China’s links with the Arab world.
Does every itinerary include every workshop?
No. The guqin workshop is on all of them, but each itinerary has its own selection of the other classes; the table above shows where each one appears.
Practical Details
Accommodation, safety, costs and how planning works are the same for every theme. You will find them on our School Trips to China page.
Plan a Xi’an Cultural Study Tour
Tell us about your group and the length you have in mind, and we will suggest an itinerary and send a quotation.