Lanzhou Dunhuang

About the Program

01 / Lanzhou

Yellow River Heartland & North American Camp Culture

Lanzhou straddles the Yellow River at the heart of the ancient Silk Road — the only major Chinese city built along both banks of the river considered the cradle of Chinese civilisation. Our Lanzhou camp brings the world to the riverside: a 3:1 Chinese-to-international pairing means all-day English immersion through team challenges, themed workshops, and bonfire co-creation. Students explore Gansu's extraordinary intangible heritage — carving gourds, shaping 5,000-year-old Majiayao painted pottery, and practising calligraphy — then visit the 1,600-year-old Bingling Temple grottoes and Dinosaur Valley carved into canyon walls beside the Yellow River.

02 / Dunhuang

Silk Road Desert Sanctuary & Living World Heritage

From Lanzhou, students fly west into the Gobi Desert to Dunhuang — a crossroads of civilisations for over two thousand years, where the Silk Road split into its northern and southern routes. The Dunhuang camp offers experiences that ordinary travel simply cannot replicate: students stay in desert campsite caravans under a sky blazing with stars, ride camels across Mingsha Mountain's golden dunes to the Crescent Spring, and join a 10,000-person open-air concert with Chinese and international campers singing shoulder to shoulder. Expert-led Mogao Caves tours, Silk Road heritage workshops, and the landmark walk-through performance "Seeing Dunhuang Again" bring two thousand years of history vividly to life.

Five Core Advantages

Exceptional Value

A dual-city reverse-insertion camp at just 1/10 the cost of equivalent overseas programs. Students experience genuine international exchange — from the Yellow River to the Gobi Desert — without leaving China.

Authentic American Camp Culture

A full North American camp model led by a senior American foreign teacher. Team challenges, responsibility-sharing, and bonfire co-creation replace rigid classrooms with a complete leadership, collaboration, and self-expression system.

All-Day English Immersion

A 3:1 Chinese-to-international ratio means every Chinese camper has at least one international partner at all times — from Lanzhou camp games to Dunhuang camel rides. English becomes the natural language of friendship, not a classroom subject.

East-West Mutual Empowerment

Chinese students showcase Majiayao pottery, paper cutting, and calligraphy to international friends, building real cultural confidence. Together, students explore Silk Road civilisation — understanding in the sound of camel bells why this road once connected the world.

Dunhuang Exclusive Experiences

Desert caravan camping, expert-led Mogao Caves tour, Silk Road heritage workshops (mud panel painting & sand painting), a 10,000-person open-air concert under the stars, and the legendary walk-through performance "Seeing Dunhuang Again."

9-Day Itinerary

Package 4 · Lanzhou · Dunhuang · Silk Road Twin Cities · Ages 10–18

Lanzhou: Yellow River Heartland

Days 1–6 · July 26–31 · Camp culture, English immersion & Silk Road heritage

Day 1

Arrival & Welcome Party

Morning Camp check-in. Settle into the 4-star state-owned hotel with closed management — 2 dedicated life tutors on hand for full-time care throughout the Lanzhou programme.

Afternoon Camp group formation and ice-breaking — cross-cultural self-introductions, team contract design, and international partner matching under the 3:1 pairing system. International mentors lead games including "Human Chess" and "Trust Blind Walk."

Evening Welcome party — special performances, Global Culture Quiz, and "You Draw, I Guess" with Silk Road cultural relics. Taste Three Cannon tea and classic Lanzhou snacks around the bonfire.

Day 2

International English Class & Gourd Carving

Morning International Integrated English Classroom — enhance English narrative skills and cultural empathy with cross-national team challenges, collaborative storytelling, and leadership activities led by the senior American foreign teacher.

Afternoon Intangible Heritage Workshop: Lanzhou Gourd Carving — a master craftsperson demonstrates the traditional needle-carving and ink-painting technique. Each student carves their own "Silk Road Friendship Gourd," incorporating cultural elements from their home country.

Evening Starry Night Talk — students pair up to share "the most precious cultural heritage of their hometown" and teach or learn a traditional dance from their own country under the Yellow River star map.

Day 3

English Speech Class & Liujiaxia Hydropower Station

Morning English Speech Classroom — academic English vocabulary, public speaking training, and cross-national collaborative presentations. Students develop and deliver their own "Eco-Heroes Mission" environmental proposals to the group.

Afternoon Visit Liujiaxia Hydropower Station — tour the dam and generator hall, learn the principles of hydropower generation, and visit the confluence of the Yellow River and the Tao River. Write a Yellow River Diary entry capturing the day's observations and reflections.

Evening Karaoke Night — Chinese and international campers perform songs from their home countries, breaking language barriers through music.

Day 4

International English Class & Majiayao Pottery

Morning International Integrated English Classroom: Tech Innovators Lab — Tech English vocabulary, cross-national collaborative creation, and presentation skills training. Students pitch their own cultural innovation concepts to a mixed Chinese-international panel.

Afternoon Intangible Heritage Workshop: Majiayao Painted Pottery — shape and hand-paint pottery in the style of the ancient Majiayao culture that flourished along the Yellow River over 5,000 years ago. Students present their finished pieces to international partners, explaining the cultural story behind each design.

Evening Outdoor BBQ and open-air movie night — international campers share outdoor traditions from their home countries around the grill.

Day 5

Bingling Temple, Dinosaur Valley & Closing Bonfire

Morning Visit Bingling Temple Grottoes and Dinosaur Valley — explore 1,600-year-old Buddhist sculptures carved from canyon walls beside the Yellow River, then discover fossilised dinosaur remains in the dramatic surrounding canyon landscape.

Afternoon Team activities — outdoor leadership challenges and collaborative games, applying the week's teamwork skills in Lanzhou's spectacular landscape.

Evening Closing Bonfire Party — International Talent Show, exchange of cultural souvenirs between Chinese and international campers, and awarding of the "Global Youth Ambassador" certificate.

Day 6

Lanzhou Closing Ceremony & Fly to Dunhuang

Morning Lanzhou closing ceremony — groups present their "Silk Road scroll," a collective visual record of the six days drawn together. Students exchange farewell messages with their Lanzhou partners.

Afternoon Fly Lanzhou → Dunhuang — depart from Zhongchuan International Airport and arrive at Dunhuang Mogao International Airport. Transfer to the desert campsite.

Evening Desert welcome dinner at the campsite — check into the Dunhuang desert caravans. First night under the vast Gobi sky, in one of the most remote and spectacular landscapes on Earth.

Dunhuang: Silk Road Desert Sanctuary

Days 7–9 · August 1–3 · Heritage, desert adventure & thousand-year stories

Day 7

Intangible Heritage Workshops & Desert Camel Riding

Morning Silk Road intangible heritage workshops — experience mud panel painting (泥板画) and sand painting (沙画), two traditional Dunhuang crafts. Chinese and international students collaborate to create their own Silk Road themed artworks, experiencing Chinese craftsmanship through hands-on making.

Afternoon Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring — ride camels across the towering golden dunes of Mingsha Mountain to the legendary Crescent Spring, a freshwater oasis that has survived in the heart of the desert for thousands of years. Micro-ecological observations in the desert environment.

Evening Mingsha Mountain 10,000-person Starry Sky Music Concert — Chinese and international campers sing shoulder to shoulder under the vast desert sky, creating an unforgettable cross-cultural memory that no classroom could replicate.

Day 8

Mogao Caves & "Seeing Dunhuang Again"

Morning Expert-led Mogao Caves deep study — a specially invited professional lecturer guides students through the 735 caves of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, deeply interpreting mural art, historical stories, and the extraordinary civilisational exchange between Chinese, Indian, Persian, and Greek traditions across ten centuries of cave painting.

Afternoon Shazhou Market (沙洲市集) — explore Dunhuang's vibrant local market, sampling Silk Road street food and browsing cultural handicrafts. Students practise conversational English with international partners in a real-world setting.

Evening "Seeing Dunhuang Again" (《又见敦煌》) — attend the landmark large-scale walk-through live performance, immersively experiencing a thousand years of Dunhuang history and Silk Road legend. Textbook knowledge comes alive in one of China's most celebrated cultural productions.

Day 9

Departure — Dunhuang to Beijing

Afternoon Transfer to Dunhuang Mogao International Airport (DNH) for departure flights to Beijing. Nine days of Silk Road adventure come to a close — with friendships, artworks, and memories that will last a lifetime.

About the Program

Yellow River Heartland & North American Camp Culture

Silk Road Desert Sanctuary & Living World Heritage

Five Core Advantages

9-Day Itinerary

Departure & What You Take Home

Comprehensive Service Assurance

Ready to Book?

About the Program

Yellow River Heartland & North American Camp Culture

Silk Road Desert Sanctuary & Living World Heritage

Five Core Advantages

9-Day Itinerary

Departure & What You Take Home

Comprehensive Service Assurance

Ready to Book?

Enquire About This Program

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