Education tourism has become popular among people of all ages in China. More than 6 million people joined study tours last year,    1     (high) even than the pre-pandemic number of 4.8 million in 2019.

Study travel date back to the Song and Ming dynasties,     2     many poets wrote of their experiences on study travels. China formed an industry for study travel during the period of reform and opening-up, which     3     (see) rapid development in the past decades. So far, students in primary and middle schools have been the main participants in education tourism.

The development of education tourism has promoted the social education of students, which has also played     4     important role in mixing culture and tourism.    5    , the nation’s education tourism still faces problems, such as having a weak connection with the national courses, and fewer practice     6     (opportunity) during trips.

Xu Huayu, president of Anhui Global Culture Tourism Group, said, “Many people     7     (involve) in education tourism are those who used to work for travel agencies, and some people just take it     8     a business. It’s necessary to produce more professional study travel guides     9     recruit(招募)talents to develop courses.”

“We also need a state-level standard     10     (help) us better set up recruiting requirements and training for employees,” he added.

Xitang Water Town is     1     (convenient) lying in Jiashan County, about 90 kilometers from Shanghai, 110 kilometers from Hangzhou and 85 kilometers from Suzhou. This historic ancient town     2     (list) as National AAAAA Tourist Attraction in 2017.

This ancient town     3     (have) a history of more than one thousand years. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period (770-221B.C.), Xitang was a place of strategic     4     (important) on the boundary between Wu and Yue States. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Xitang developed into a prosperous town. And during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911), it was known as an important town     5     commerce and handicrafts in South China.

    6     attracts visitors most is the easy-going lifestyle that local     7     (resident) have followed for thousands of years. Unlike     8     ancient towns of Zhouzhuang and Wuzhen, Xitang is not an authentic village where people in the town live ordinary and     9     (peace) lives. The simple lifestyle may have disappeared in those now commercialized ancient towns, but it fills every lane in Xitang. For travelers from modern metropolises, Xitang is a fantastic place     10     (experience) a feeling of simplicity and leisure.

Situated at an altitude of over 3,000 meters, the Shandan Horse Ranch(马场)station is located in Shandan county in the city of Zhangye along the Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway line.

The expansion project of the station, where there were no passenger transport services before, started construction in March, 2021. A passenger terminal building covering an area of 1,080 square meters, two platforms and other facilities were built     1     part of the project.

Eight trains,       2     (head)for several cities including Lanzhou, Xi'an and Urumqi, will now stop over at the station     3     (pick)up passengers.

Yang Yifeng took the train eastward to Tianshui, Gansu, a trip of five and a half hours now.

“We used to take normal trains and then travel by bus from Tianshui to the horse ranch, with the journey lasting more than 10 hours. Now the trip is very     4     (convenience)," said Yang, one of the first batch of passengers.

Shandan Horse Ranch,       5     is under the foot of the Qilian Mountains, is one of the oldest horse ranches in the world. Horses     6     (raise)here since the Han Dynasty(202 B.C.-A.D. 220), and the tradition of horse breeding has continued for thousands of years. During the Tang Dynasty(618-907)reign,       7     number of horses in Shandan exceeded 70,000.

In recent years, with great     8     (achieve)in the ecological protection of the Qilian Mountains, Shandan Horse Ranch began to     9     (active)develop tourism.

Chen Jin, deputy head of Shandan county, said that with the opening of the station,     10     (tourist)from all over the country can come to visit the ranch more easily via the high-speed railway.