As a parent who’s been trying to spark my 10-year-old son’s interest in history, a one-day trip to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum from Shanghai felt like a make-or-break experiment—and guide Andy, the travel company’s thoughtful planning, and driver Mr. Wang turned it into a day my son still rants about excitedly weeks later.

Our journey started with zero stress: Mr. Wang was at Xi’an North Railway Station when we stepped off the train. He helped hoist our backpack into the car and took a scenic but efficient route to the museum. Andy was a revelation for young learners. He didn’t hit us with dry dates or complex terms—instead, he greeted my son with a question: “Ever wondered what an army from 2,000 years ago looked like?” From there, he turned the museum into a giant puzzle. At Pit 1, he asked my son to spot three differences between the warriors, and when the kid pointed out varying hairstyles, Andy explained: “Those are like their rank badges—just like how your soccer team has captain armbands!” He showed us a warrior with a chipped shoulder and said, “This guy probably fought in real battles before being turned into clay,” making the figure feel like a real person, not just a statue. When my son asked why some warriors were missing heads, Andy didn’t shy away from the answer but framed it as a mystery:“Archaeologists are still figuring that out—maybe you’ll be the one to solve it someday?”The company’s itinerary was clearly designed with families in mind. Andy timed our stops perfectly: we started with Pit 1, then moved to the exhibition hall where the smaller relics—like tiny bronze weapons and pottery bowls—were at eye level for a child.

What impressed me most was how Andy balanced fun with real learning. He didn’t dumb down the history—he just translated it into kid language. When we saw the unexcavated sections of Pit 2, he explained that archaeologists wait because “they don’t want to break the artifacts, like how you wait to open a puzzle until you have all the pieces.” He let my son take photos of his favorite warriors and even posed with him next to a life-size replica, joking that they were “ancient and modern soldiers.”

By the time we left, my son was asking to read books about the Qin Dynasty—something I’d tried and failed to do for months. The company’s seamless logistics and Mr. Wang’s prompt pick-up from the museum later kept the day running smoothly, but it was Andy’s ability to make history feel fun and accessible that turned a simple trip into a lifelong memory for both of us.

Reviewed to: Xian Terracotta Warriors Highlights Day Tour From Shanghai by Flight