"A museum is a great school," Yang says, encouraging visitors to measure history with their footsteps in Luoyang.

For those who want to understand not just how China's civilization was shaped but how its modern industry was built, there is China YTO. Founded in 1955, this leading agricultural and construction machinery manufacturer exposes visitors to a grittier side of the city's story.

"Young people can understand the struggle and pride of an era among gears and steel," says Guo Yushi, from the company's Dongfanghong industrial tourism program.

Stories about the first female tractor driver in China and the major pioneers who built the industry from nothing will be shared. A bus tour then passes the well-preserved Soviet-style buildings before arriving at the advanced assembly line for large-wheel tractors, where one tractor rolls off every three minutes.

Thirty percent of China's tractors are produced here, and they have been exported to more than 150 countries, Guo notes.

Hands-on activities include a clay tractor workshop and a tractor assembly model class, she recommends.

Zhang Nan, a representative of Beijing's travel industry, observes that a rising number of students across the country have opted for study tours.

Experts attribute the trend to a shift in expectations, as parents and educators no longer want passive sightseeing; they seek destinations where young people can touch, make and ask.

"The universal feedback is that the destinations that truly move people are those that explain culture thoroughly and make the experience profound," Zhang Nan explains.

Luoyang has stood out as a top destination, she adds.

"Luoyang's history is not a cold display but a living scene in which you can participate," she says.