We arrived safe and sound yesterday, checked into our plush hotel and had a lovely buffet lunch. Then we went to the ancient city wall and learnt about its history before a tandem bike race between 5S and 5F - of course Team Silk were victorious!!

Then we visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and learnt all about the Monkey King and the beginning of Buddhism in China. We ended the day with a banquet dinner and show at the Tang Dynasty Theatre.

During our second day of our amazingly informative residential trip, the children were privilaged to see the renowned Terrocotta Warriors. The children were alive with enthusiasm and curiosity with many questions being asked of the guide. Secondly they had an eye opening experience whilst visiting the Childrens Village. They were treated to a fantastic performance of a well known Chinese song "Gan xie you ni". After which Year 5 followed with one of their songs from the upcomimg KS2 production.

Finally, we ended our evening with a meal of tremendous portions at the famous dumpling restaurant in Xian. The children were able to fill their stomachs to the brim with a huge variety of delicious dumplings which they all enjoyed, in particular the girls!

We started the morning off with a trip to the Forest of Steles which holds the first Chinese dictionary carved onto stone tablets. The children learnt all about the different styles of Chinese characters through history. They then had the chance to sample the ancient technique of 'stone rubbing' on the stone tablets.

We then spent the afternoon at the Hu County farmer's painting workshop where the children met a famous painter and were taught the techniques for painting traditional Chinese paintings. Six children won prizes for their painting and came away with their own paintings framed.

We finished off our day at the musical fountains outside the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The children had a fantastic time dodging all the fountains as they flew up 12 ft into the air and dropped down on them. We all came back a little soggy but with huge smiles on faces. What a great last night in Xian!

Off to the Bell Tower and Drum tower tomorrow and shopping in the Muslim quarter before the flight home!