EXPERIENCE XIAN
JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
Beijing City International School
XIAN: JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
KEY EDUCATIONAL CONCEPTS
Creativity, Action, and Service
In accordance with The Hutong’s Educational Mission, we aim to broaden students’
horizons by exposing them to unique experiences throughout China. The Hutong places
particular emphasis on experiential learning, and works increasingly to give its students
the opportunity to service the communities they visit. They leave the trip with a
renewed sense of their strengths and abilities, as well as a more solid understanding of
ethical tourism and global development.
Ancient vs. Modern History
We will explore China’s illustrious history via interactive activities at The Museum of
The Terracotta Warriors, Xian’s City Wall and The Big Wild Goose Pagoda. At Xian’s
Terracotta Army, the students will complete a site scavenger hunt that takes them back
in time. The For the trip’s whole, we will complete a workbook designed to have the
students dig deep into Xian’s history and travel through space and time.
Team Building
Many activities naturally lend themselves to aiding the students to break down barriers,
work as teams and utilize leadership qualities, but none more so biking along the ancient
city wall and navigating a scavenger hunt through the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The
activities will push physical, emotional and cultural boundaries necessitating the need for
students to work together.
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XIAN: JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
SCHEDULE
BCIS Contact:
Alex Davies [email protected]
Date of Program: 9th-12th September 2014
No. of Students: Approx. 60
No. of Staff: 6
In The Hutong’s Xi’an: Journey Through Time, we will meet China’s world famous,
ancient Terracotta Army, bike along the city’s historical wall, experience Xian’s art and
customs, taste its delicacies, and also interact with the community. The trip begins and
ends in Xian. Meals provided indicated in schedule as Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), and
Dinner (D).
Day Location
Beijing- Xian
1
9/9
Train, Bus
2
Xian
9/10
Bus
B, L, D
Activities
Evening: Train from Beijing to Xian
Morning:
Transport to and check into hotel
Welcome Talk
Big Wild Goose Pagoda scavenger hunt
Afternoon:
Tang Bo Art Museum Workshop
3
Xian
9/11
Bus
B, L, D
Evening:
Muslim Quarter Night Market Bingo
Soup Dumplings at Jia San (贾三灌汤包)
Morning:
Terracotta pottery factory workshop
Afternoon:
Terracotta Warriors Museum activities
Visit local traditional cave dwelling
Return to hotel
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XIAN: JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
Xian
4
9/12
5
9/13
Morning:
City Wall Biking Activity
Bus
Traditional Paomo Lunch
B, L, D
Afternoon:
Hanyanglin Mausoleum Visit
Xi’an- Beijing
Evening: Return Train to Beijing
Morning:
Arrival back in Beijing
Note: The Hutong works closely with each of its client schools to develop a trip that fits its curriculum
and unique requirements. Hutong trip leaders also travel regularly to destinations to develop
relationships with local contacts to provide the most authentic cultural experiences possible. As such, trip
itineraries are subject to change, pending the discovery of an even better activity or destination.
Itineraries may also be subject to change due to weather, traffic, or government policies. For large
groups, and after consulting with the school, The Hutong may decide to separate the students into
subgroups and rotate the itinerary. We welcome open discussion and collaboration to design
educational, interactive, and relevant excursions.
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XIAN: JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES
DAY 1:
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔
We visit one of the quintessential examples of
classic Chinese architecture, the Giant Wild
Goose Pagoda. Originally built in 652 during the
Tang Dynasty to house the sutras, figurines, and
teachings that the monk Xuanzang brought back
from his travels to India; the voyage that inspired
the Chinese literary classic, Journey to the West.
We will start by splitting up the group into
smaller battalion groups that they will group into
during every interactive group activity. We will
embark on a scavenger hunt around the grounds
and up the seven stories of the famous pagoda to
find clues and unravel the story behind the
ancient epic.
Tang Bo Art Museum Workshop
In this afternoon activity, students will use art as their lens to delve deeper into Chinese
history. From ancient pottery and paintings to traditional folk arts and paper cutting, we
will trace the progression of Chinese art through the millennia. We’ll get a chance to
pick up our own brush and canvas to learn those basic strokes of Chinese Calligraphy
from the museum curator.
Muslim Quarter Market
The terminus city of the ancient Silk Road and one
of China’s four ancient capital cities, Xi’an has
historically been a cosmopolitan city that has
attracted merchants and traders from all four
corners of the globe. Students will have structured
free time to explore the bustling market for
delicious snacks, shop for gifts, and to enjoy the
one of the most unique neighborhoods in the
entire country. Rose petal rice, persimmon cakes,
and pulled pork sandwiches are just a few of the
culinary treats that we’ll graze upon before tucking
into our own feast right off the main street.
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XIAN: JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
DAY 2:
Terracotta Pottery Factory
We will jump right in with a visit to a local
pottery factory to learn about the
production process of the originals
terracotta warriors that we will see later
in the Mausoleum. Our students will get
the chance to work alongside the
craftsmen and women to make their own
small terracotta warrior, to decorate and
give it their own individual identity and
flair.
Terracotta Warriors Museum
- 兵马俑
The crown jewel of Xi’an and hailed as one
of the “Eight Wonders of the Ancient
World”, Emperor Qinshihuang’s
Mausoleum is one of the most significant
archaeological finds in history. Housing
over 7,000 life-sized terra cotta figures of
warriors and horses aligned in battle
formation, built to protect the legendary
first Emperor of China in his afterlife.
Students will re-group into their battalions
and take part in a site-wide scavenger hunt
that will have them taking out their critical
eyes with the devil lying in the details.
Traditional Cave Dwelling
We’ll make a brief stop at one of the last remaining examples of traditional cave houses
left in the Xi’an area. Very common in the Loess Plateau of Northern Shaanxi as the
porous yellow soil is very amenable to these structures which provide warmth in the
harsh winter and cool relief during the summer.
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XIAN: JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
DAY 3:
Ancient City Wall Biking
One of the oldest and best preserved city
walls in all of China, students will be asked
to complete an interactive scavenger hunt
on their bikes as they navigate the wall.
We’ll start at the historic southern
Yongningmen Gate and ride through
history on our way to the north gate
watchtower. Biking with their battalion
groups, students will be tasked with
collecting clues and keeping their eye
peeled because you never know what you’ll see when you when you step back into
history!
Hanyangling Mausoleum
A closer and more intimate site than the massive excavation at Qinshihuang’s
Mausoleum, this is the burial place of Emperor Jing, the fourth emperor of the Western
Han Dynasty. We will have a chance to get right down on the ground level of the
excavation and get to look history right in the eye and see the final resting place of the
emperor thought to have unified early dynastic China
Return to Beijing
We will take an Evening overnight
train and arrive back in Beijing the
next morning. Through our
interactive approach students will not
just be passive recipients of cultural
knowledge but will have fun and get a
deeper insight by actively participating.
They will return home with a better
understanding of China’s history,
culture and an appreciation of its arts
and customs, while having taken a
little step in the direction toward
social awareness and responsibility.
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XIAN: JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
VALUES AND CHALLENGES
Throughout our programs, we challenge students to not only push their boundaries and
explore their surrounding culture but we encourage them to take responsibility for
their actions through embracing sustainable travel, making good decisions and
supporting their classmates. These notions are born out of our own company Core
Values:
1. Be a good egg!
2. Embrace diversity!
3. Light a spark!
4. Go the extra ‘li’ (mile)!
5. Seek challenge!
6. Smile more!
We like to challenge students to adopt these practices and award those who
demonstrate such values during the trip, through notions such as:
The Chopstick Challenge
Each student is given their very own set of sustainable bamboo chopsticks with a stylish
pouch to keep them in. Why? Forests are being chopped down for producing chopsticks
– 20 million trees per year to produce 80 billion disposable chopsticks for China alone.
To discourage deforestation and wasteful consumption we avoid using disposable
chopsticks and encourage responsibility for possessions. Students who demonstrate best
sustainability practices will earn the ‘Golden Chopstick Award.’
The Hutong Helmsman
Mao Zedong was known as "The Great Helmsman" because of his ability to steer the
PRC to the right course of action. At The Hutong, we will choose our Helmsmen and
Helmswomen based on who has lived up to the The Hutong's Core Values that day,
thereby helping steer us to a more successful trip. We typically have each teacher
choose someone from their group, and by the end of the trip each student ends up
being recognized for their positive contributions.
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