Uncover Xi'An's wonders! First marvel at the Terracotta Warriors -8,000 life-sized clay soldiers guarding China's first emperor. Then roll up your sleeves for a hands-on Roujiamo workshop. Learn to bake golden 'mo' bread and stuff it with tender braised pork, creating China's oldest hamburger. A perfect blend of history and culinary fun.

Julia Lian has been teaching at WEA since 2025.

Julie has extensive international experience in teaching and cultural exchange, having worked in China, South Korea, and Australia. Over the past decade she has designed and delivered interactive food workshops for international students and adult learners, combining cultural insights with hands-on practice.

Her passion is helping students discover the beauty of China and especially Chinese food culture—through cooking, tasting, and storytelling. I specialise in interactive workshops where participants not only learn cooking skills but also explore the history and traditions behind each dish. Her teaching style is practical, engaging, and focused on building cultural understanding.

Discover Xi’An’s Wonders

Course Description

Uncover the cultural and culinary treasures of Xi’an in this unique short course. 

Begin your journey with the awe-inspiring story of the Terracotta Warriors – 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers that have guarded China’s first emperor for over two millennia. 

Through engaging storytelling and vivid visuals, you’ll explore their historical and cultural significance, gaining insight into one of the world’s most extraordinary archaeological sites.

Then, roll up your sleeves for a hands-on culinary experience. 

Under step-by-step guidance, you’ll learn to bake golden mo bread and fill it with tender braised pork to create Roujiamo, often called China’s “oldest hamburger.” 

Combining history with a fun, interactive cooking session, this course is the perfect mix of learning, culture, and flavour.

All ingredients and cooking tools and utensils will be provided. Students may wish to bring an apron.

Course Structure

The session opens with an engaging overview of Xi’an’s cultural significance, highlighting the story of the Terracotta Warriors and their place in Chinese history. 

From there, the focus shifts to a hands-on cooking workshop, where you’ll be guided step by step in preparing Roujiamo, baking mo bread and filling it with braised pork, before finishing with a shared tasting and discussion.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the cultural and historical importance of Xi’an and the Terracotta Warriors
• Explain the origins and significance of Roujiamo in Chinese culinary tradition
• Bake traditional mo bread and prepare a Roujiamo
• Connect history and food as complementary ways of exploring culture.