Xian Where to buy
With its rapid economic development, Xian is regarded as one of the most important cities in northwestern China. There are many big shopping centers, department stores and supermarkets in and around the city, centered mainly along Dong Dajie Street, Nan Dajie Street and Jiefang Road.
Located between the ancient Bell Tower and Drum Tower, Century Ginwa Shopping Mall is a landscaped square with profound cultural connotations as well as a high quality, exclusive shopping center. The mall opened in 1998 and now houses over sixty world-famous brands for discriminating customers, including Bally, Burberry, Dior, Givenchy, Lancome, Estee Lauder, and other all of which make Ginwa a fashion center in Xian
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Supermarkets
Supermarkets are numerous in Xian and are primarily distributed around universities and communities. However, there are some in the city center and the suburbs that are also easily accessible. The most famous include Jia Shi Jie, Ai Jia (IGA), Hao You Duo (Quality and Quantity), Yi Chu Lian Hua (Lotus Supercenter), Ren Ren Le, etc.
Jia Shi Jie
Opening Hours: 9:00 - 21:00
1. South Gate Branch (Downtown) is situated in Fen Xiang, Nan Dajie Street.
Bus: No. 600, 603
2. Changan Road Branch (South Suburb) is located at the northeast corner of the crossing of Shida Road and Changan Road.
Bus: No.19, 44, 101, 215, 239, 408, 600, 603
3. Jin Hua Road Branch (East Suburb) is situated near the crossing of Changle Road and Jinhua Road.
Bus: No. 4, 10, 11, 13, 27, 43, 105, 209, 303, 402, 604, 605
4. Lian Hu Branch (West Suburb) is located at the southwest of the crossing of Daqing Road and Taoyuan Road.
Bus: No.2, 12, 45, 103, 104, 207, 210, 222, 223, 224, 301, 303, 605, 803
5. North Suburb Branch is located along the Bei Erhuan Road (Northern 2nd Ring Road).
Bus: No. 18, 17, 238, 228, 236, 609, 600
6. Nan Erhuan Branch is situated along the Nan Erhuan Road (Southern 2nd Ring Road).
Bus: No.24, 46, 308, 311, 608
Yi Chu Lian Hua (Lotus Supercenter) TangYan Store
Address: No. 3 Tangyan Road (Southwest Suburb)
Operating Hours: 8:30 - 22:00
Bus: No.14, 34, 40, 107, 312, 400
Souvenirs
There are many historical relic shops in Xian, such as Shu Yuanmen (an art street), which is laid out in the style of an ancient street; Xian Antique Market; and Wenbaozhai Tour Shopping Center. Tang tri-colored glazed pottery and replicas of clay figures of warriors and horses, as well as folk handicrafts of paper-cut and cloth art, can be found there.
Shu
Xian Antique Market
Wenbaozhai
Peasant Painting Gallery
Peasant Painting Gallery in the east outskirts of Xian City is one of the most renowned gallery of Shaanxi folk crafts. Having been visited by many tourists both from home and abroad, the gallery exhibits a great deal of Peasant Painting as well as other folk crafts such as paper-cutting and shadow puppet. Professional craftsman in the gallery even can teach visitors to paint or cut!
Xian is a great place to do some fantastic Chinese souvenir shopping, especially for cultural items. Some excellent offerings specific to Xian include: Chinese calligraphy rubbings, Tang pottery replicas, Terracotta Warrior replicas, Folk paintings, Folk paper cuttings and Green porcelain.
The area around Jiefang Road is Xian's thriving business district, and most retail stores are along Dongdajie Street and Xidajie Street, running east and west through the city, south of the Drum Tower. In the Muslim area of the city, near the Bell Tower, there is a huge outdoor market that sells almost everything you could ever want! Clothing, antiques, musical instruments, Mao memorabilia as well as other souvenirs and cultural items are all for sale. If you still crave more, then there is also a small clothing market off Dongdajie Street.
Calligraphy Rubbings
Folk Paintings
Great folk paintings can be purchased at most tourist attractions from street vendors and in small shops nearby.
Green Porcelain
A good place to buy Green Porcelain products is in the gift shop at the Forest of Steles.
Paper Cutting
The designs of the paper cuttings are rich and varied, but they always feature symbols of auspicious and happiness as the main theme. Other secondary themes include landscape scenes, legends and myths, and folk stories. These folk paper cuttings are usually inexpensive, but you should still bargain.
Paper cuttings can be purchased throughout Xian, but you can definitely pick some up at major tourist attractions.
Tang Pottery Replicas
Because of this revival in the art of Tang style pottery, buyers should be wary of any shop owners or hawkers that claim their pottery to be "old". Just a reminder! The Tang Dynasty was from about 600 to 900 AD. That would make any genuine Tang Dynasty pieces out of the reach of any ordinary modern day shop.
To purchase some Tang pottery replicas, try the Xian Friendship Store or Xian Cultural Relics Store.
Terracotta Warriors
The price of the life-sized statues usually includes shipping fee to the US or Europe. But buyers beware! The life-sized statues cost a fraction of the price to make, usually less than 400 US dollars. If you take an organized tour to the Terracotta Army site, your tour will probably stop by one of Xian's "Terracotta Warrior" factories. You can purchase one there or try the Xian Friendship Store.
Take a Terracotta Warrior home with you! Many different types of replicas are available as souvenirs, from a few inches tall to life-size! Prices range as well, from one US dollar to several thousand dollars for the largest statues.
Xian's proud tradition as the capital of the Tang Dynasty is kept alive today by modern day replicas of Tang Dynasty pottery. Tang Dynasty pottery, with its distinctive blue, green, and yellow color glazes is still hand-made as it was during the Tang. Common themes include figurines and ceramic camels and horses.
Paper cutting is an extremely popular folk art in the Shaanxi Province villages. On days of celebration such as holidays and weddings, villagers like to decorate the doors and windows of their homes with colorful paper cuttings.
Green Porcelain (Qing Ciqi) is a method of making porcelain which originated in China's Song Dynasty. Lifelike animals and flowers are the major decorative themes and the most common colors of this porcelain are blue and green. Useful and durable, yet also elegant and pretty, this porcelain has many uses and forms. Green Porcelain is especially favored as a material for making tea pots.
One fantastic and very special type of souvenir from Xian is a local folk painting. The local folk painters have borrowed the line drawing techniques of traditional Chinese brush painting and draw inspiration from cultural and historical figures, animals, flowers and birds. These eye-catching and colorful paintings overflow with the atmosphere of Chinese country life and are widely enjoyed by travelers to Xian.
Xian is a store house of ancient Chinese culture and calligraphy! There are more than 300 steles dating from the Han, Wei, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties collected in the Forest of Steles in Xian. Books of rubbings from some of the most famous Chinese calligraphers can be purchased there. If you are interested in Chinese history, language, or calligraphy, then this is an excellent opportunity to enrich your collection of calligraphic rubbings. Tour Shopping Center
Wenbaozhai Tour Shopping Center of Xian is one of the earliest fixed tour shops for foreign travelers in the Northwest. It is an important window opening Xian to the outside world, gaining the unanimous praise of Chinese and foreign guests. Dealers sell silk rugs, woolen blankets, silk clothing, jewels, jade articles, calligraphy, paintings, historical relics, antiques, model clay figures of warriors and horses, and bronze cars and horses - altogether 35 categories and more than 200 kinds of goods. The address is No.5 Yanta Road Zhongduan.
Xian Antique Market is located at the intersection of Zhuque Road and Nan Erhuan Road (Southern 2nd Ring Road) near the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. From large furniture to small coins, the market contains every possible antique known to collectors - but you should be on guard against replicas. Yuan Men (The Arts Street)
Under the ancient city wall behind the Forest of Steles in Xian, there is a well-known street in the style of ancient towns - Shu Yuan Men. Both sides of the slab stone road are lined with buildings in the Ming and Qing styles. Various crafts and arts are sold on this crowded street all year long. Historical relics, calligraphy, paintings, antiques, jewels, and folk art fine works are all tourist favorites.
Minsheng Department Store, at No. 103, Jiefang Road
Parkson Shopping Center is popular in Xian and now there are three Parksons
Xian Road Parkson: 119, Dong Dajie Street (opposite the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
Xian Shidai Parkson: Shidai Shengdian Plaza, Xi Dajie Street
Xian Changan Parkson: 38, Changan Zhong Road
Department Stores
Located between the ancient Bell Tower and Drum Tower, Century Ginwa Shopping Mall is a landscaped square with profound cultural connotations as well as a high quality, exclusive shopping center. The mall opened in 1998 and now houses over sixty world-famous brands for discriminating customers, including Bally, Burberry, Dior, Givenchy, Lancome, Estee Lauder, and other all of which make Ginwa a fashion center in Xian
Opposite Ginwa is Kai Yuan Shopping Mall, one of the biggest department stores in Xian. Both the price and the quality of the commodities and the sales service are often praised by shoppers, who have made it one of the most popular shopping places in Xian.
Other Recommendations:
Supermarkets
Supermarkets are numerous in Xian and are primarily distributed around universities and communities. However, there are some in the city center and the suburbs that are also easily accessible. The most famous include Jia Shi Jie, Ai Jia (IGA), Hao You Duo (Quality and Quantity), Yi Chu Lian Hua (Lotus Supercenter), Ren Ren Le, etc.
Jia Shi Jie
Opening Hours: 9:00 - 21:00
1. South Gate Branch (Downtown) is situated in Fen Xiang, Nan Dajie Street.
Bus: No. 600, 603
2. Changan Road Branch (South Suburb) is located at the northeast corner of the crossing of Shida Road and Changan Road.
Bus: No.19, 44, 101, 215, 239, 408, 600, 603
3. Jin Hua Road Branch (East Suburb) is situated near the crossing of Changle Road and Jinhua Road.
Bus: No. 4, 10, 11, 13, 27, 43, 105, 209, 303, 402, 604, 605
4. Lian Hu Branch (West Suburb) is located at the southwest of the crossing of Daqing Road and Taoyuan Road.
Bus: No.2, 12, 45, 103, 104, 207, 210, 222, 223, 224, 301, 303, 605, 803
5. North Suburb Branch is located along the Bei Erhuan Road (Northern 2nd Ring Road).
Bus: No. 18, 17, 238, 228, 236, 609, 600
6. Nan Erhuan Branch is situated along the Nan Erhuan Road (Southern 2nd Ring Road).
Bus: No.24, 46, 308, 311, 608
Yi Chu Lian Hua (Lotus Supercenter) TangYan Store
Address: No. 3 Tangyan Road (Southwest Suburb)
Operating Hours: 8:30 - 22:00
Bus: No.14, 34, 40, 107, 312, 400
Souvenirs
There are many historical relic shops in Xian, such as Shu Yuanmen (an art street), which is laid out in the style of an ancient street; Xian Antique Market; and Wenbaozhai Tour Shopping Center. Tang tri-colored glazed pottery and replicas of clay figures of warriors and horses, as well as folk handicrafts of paper-cut and cloth art, can be found there.
Shu
Xian Antique Market
Wenbaozhai
Peasant Painting Gallery
Peasant Painting Gallery in the east outskirts of Xian City is one of the most renowned gallery of Shaanxi folk crafts. Having been visited by many tourists both from home and abroad, the gallery exhibits a great deal of Peasant Painting as well as other folk crafts such as paper-cutting and shadow puppet. Professional craftsman in the gallery even can teach visitors to paint or cut!
Xian is a great place to do some fantastic Chinese souvenir shopping, especially for cultural items. Some excellent offerings specific to Xian include: Chinese calligraphy rubbings, Tang pottery replicas, Terracotta Warrior replicas, Folk paintings, Folk paper cuttings and Green porcelain.
The area around Jiefang Road is Xian's thriving business district, and most retail stores are along Dongdajie Street and Xidajie Street, running east and west through the city, south of the Drum Tower. In the Muslim area of the city, near the Bell Tower, there is a huge outdoor market that sells almost everything you could ever want! Clothing, antiques, musical instruments, Mao memorabilia as well as other souvenirs and cultural items are all for sale. If you still crave more, then there is also a small clothing market off Dongdajie Street.
Calligraphy Rubbings
Folk Paintings
Great folk paintings can be purchased at most tourist attractions from street vendors and in small shops nearby.
Green Porcelain
A good place to buy Green Porcelain products is in the gift shop at the Forest of Steles.
Paper Cutting
The designs of the paper cuttings are rich and varied, but they always feature symbols of auspicious and happiness as the main theme. Other secondary themes include landscape scenes, legends and myths, and folk stories. These folk paper cuttings are usually inexpensive, but you should still bargain.
Paper cuttings can be purchased throughout Xian, but you can definitely pick some up at major tourist attractions.
Tang Pottery Replicas
Because of this revival in the art of Tang style pottery, buyers should be wary of any shop owners or hawkers that claim their pottery to be "old". Just a reminder! The Tang Dynasty was from about 600 to 900 AD. That would make any genuine Tang Dynasty pieces out of the reach of any ordinary modern day shop.
To purchase some Tang pottery replicas, try the Xian Friendship Store or Xian Cultural Relics Store.
Terracotta Warriors
The price of the life-sized statues usually includes shipping fee to the US or Europe. But buyers beware! The life-sized statues cost a fraction of the price to make, usually less than 400 US dollars. If you take an organized tour to the Terracotta Army site, your tour will probably stop by one of Xian's "Terracotta Warrior" factories. You can purchase one there or try the Xian Friendship Store.
Take a Terracotta Warrior home with you! Many different types of replicas are available as souvenirs, from a few inches tall to life-size! Prices range as well, from one US dollar to several thousand dollars for the largest statues.
Xian's proud tradition as the capital of the Tang Dynasty is kept alive today by modern day replicas of Tang Dynasty pottery. Tang Dynasty pottery, with its distinctive blue, green, and yellow color glazes is still hand-made as it was during the Tang. Common themes include figurines and ceramic camels and horses.
Paper cutting is an extremely popular folk art in the Shaanxi Province villages. On days of celebration such as holidays and weddings, villagers like to decorate the doors and windows of their homes with colorful paper cuttings.
Green Porcelain (Qing Ciqi) is a method of making porcelain which originated in China's Song Dynasty. Lifelike animals and flowers are the major decorative themes and the most common colors of this porcelain are blue and green. Useful and durable, yet also elegant and pretty, this porcelain has many uses and forms. Green Porcelain is especially favored as a material for making tea pots.
One fantastic and very special type of souvenir from Xian is a local folk painting. The local folk painters have borrowed the line drawing techniques of traditional Chinese brush painting and draw inspiration from cultural and historical figures, animals, flowers and birds. These eye-catching and colorful paintings overflow with the atmosphere of Chinese country life and are widely enjoyed by travelers to Xian.
Xian is a store house of ancient Chinese culture and calligraphy! There are more than 300 steles dating from the Han, Wei, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties collected in the Forest of Steles in Xian. Books of rubbings from some of the most famous Chinese calligraphers can be purchased there. If you are interested in Chinese history, language, or calligraphy, then this is an excellent opportunity to enrich your collection of calligraphic rubbings. Tour Shopping Center
Wenbaozhai Tour Shopping Center of Xian is one of the earliest fixed tour shops for foreign travelers in the Northwest. It is an important window opening Xian to the outside world, gaining the unanimous praise of Chinese and foreign guests. Dealers sell silk rugs, woolen blankets, silk clothing, jewels, jade articles, calligraphy, paintings, historical relics, antiques, model clay figures of warriors and horses, and bronze cars and horses - altogether 35 categories and more than 200 kinds of goods. The address is No.5 Yanta Road Zhongduan.
Xian Antique Market is located at the intersection of Zhuque Road and Nan Erhuan Road (Southern 2nd Ring Road) near the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. From large furniture to small coins, the market contains every possible antique known to collectors - but you should be on guard against replicas. Yuan Men (The Arts Street)
Under the ancient city wall behind the Forest of Steles in Xian, there is a well-known street in the style of ancient towns - Shu Yuan Men. Both sides of the slab stone road are lined with buildings in the Ming and Qing styles. Various crafts and arts are sold on this crowded street all year long. Historical relics, calligraphy, paintings, antiques, jewels, and folk art fine works are all tourist favorites.
Minsheng Department Store, at No. 103, Jiefang Road
Parkson Shopping Center is popular in Xian and now there are three Parksons
Xian Road Parkson: 119, Dong Dajie Street (opposite the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
Xian Shidai Parkson: Shidai Shengdian Plaza, Xi Dajie Street
Xian Changan Parkson: 38, Changan Zhong Road
