Xian Shopping

Shopping in Xi’an is another attractive thing for tourist while enjoying the numerous historical sites and cultural relics. Xi’an shopping usually highlights the local products and souvenirs, such as Calligraphy Rubbings, Tang Tri-color Porcelain Replicas, Terracotta Warriors Replicas, Paper Cuts, Dry-cured Beef, Dried Persimmon & Walnut & Shaanxi Jujube and Xifeng Liquor. This part will tell you what and where to buy in Xi’an.

Note: prior to your Xi’an shopping, please check to see if your country restricts the import of such items.

What to Buy in Xi'an

Top Souvenirs to Buy in Xi’an

Terracotta Warriors Replicas (兵马俑纪念品)

As an ancient capital, the first souvenir to buy is surely the terracotta warrior replicas. This scaled-down model of terracotta warriors and horses is very popular among tourists. It is a good choice for collecting souvenirs or giving as gifts to relatives and friends, with unique Xi 'an character. According to different ranks and armed services, the uniform, cap, facial features, beard, hair and buckle also vary. You can also find them with different appearances, such as handsome, ugly, fat, slim, young and old.

Where to buy: You can find them in Muslim Quarter, surrounding areas of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda,  Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum and major shopping malls or department stores.

Calligraphy Rubbings (碑林书法拓片)

The Forest of Stone Steles Museum in Xi 'an has a collection of more than 2400 steles from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. It is a gathering place for steles of renamed steles. Stele rubbings have become a favorite of tourists and collectors. Tourists travel to Xi 'an, usually choose one or two as souvenirs for relatives or friends, or hang them in the hall for appreciation.

Where to buy: Books of rubbings from some of the most famous Chinese calligraphers can be purchased in the Painting and Calligraphy Street near the Forest of Stone Steles Museum.

Paper-cut (剪纸)

Paper-cut in northern Shaanxi is a precious cultural heritage of the Han nationality in China, and it is a wonderful work of Han folk art with the most cultural characteristics of frontier fortress. Nowadays, paper-cut is used as decorations, pasted on glass or hung at home to add festive atmosphere.

Where to buy: Tourists can buy the paper-cut in handicraft shops or Muslim Quarter.

Shadow Puppetry (皮影)

Shadow puppets are the figures of Shadow Play. They are silhouette figures made of animal skins or cardboard. It can be hung at home as an ornament.

Where to buy: Shadow puppets are sold in tourist shops and popular tourist spots such as Muslim Quarter, Ancient City Wall, and Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.

Dry-cured Beef (腊牛肉)

Dry-cured beef is a famous Xi’an delicacy made of fine materials and complete ingredients through exquisite workmanship and proper fire performance. The marinated meat is ruddy in color, crisp and rotten in texture, mellow and delicious.

Where to buy:  The Muslim Quarter is the best place to find the dry-cured beef, while the top restaurants selling dry-cured beef are Tiezhijian (铁志坚腊牛羊肉店), Liujixiao (刘纪孝腊牛羊肉店) and Sunqinghai (孙庆海特制腊牛羊肉). However, please be note that the quality guarantee period of the vacuum-packed dry-cured beef is relatively short, about 2-3 days at room temperature.

Dried Persimmon &  Persimmon Cake (吊柿饼&水晶饼)

Xi 'an is abound in persimmons. People usually make the dried persimmons when they turn ripe. The dried persimmons can be stored for a longer time with better taste. Deep-fried persimmon pastry (黄桂柿子饼), also known as crystal persimmon cake is popular among locals and tourists. They have the tastes of walnut, sesame, peanut, rose, bean paste, jujube paste, etc. It can also be taken away as souvenir, in vacuum package for convenient carrying.

Where to buy: Generally, the dried persimmon and persimmon cakes are available at local specialty stores and large supermarket as well as the Muslim Quarter, still we have highly recommended ones which are Yiguzhai (伊古斋黄桂柿子饼), Tiezhijian (铁志坚黄桂柿子饼) and Laoxujia (老徐家柿子饼元宵).

More about the Top Souvenirs to Buy in Xi’an and Must-buy Xi'an Specialties.

Cultural and Creative Products Worth Buying in Xi'an Museums

The ancient capital Xi 'an, popular destination among tourists at home and abroad, is distributed with many museums with various highlights. While marveled at national treasures, tourists are paying more and more attention to what they can "take away" in a museum besides historical civilization. This section explores four of most popular museums/historic sites in Xi 'an, and recommends cultural and creative products worth buying for you.

Shaanxi History Museum Calendar (陕博日历)

The 2019 edition of the Shaanxi History Museum Calendar have a larger range of time and space. A total of more than 300 pieces of cultural relics collected from 16 museums along the Silk Road that reflect the political, economic, and cultural themes of the Silk Road in the past two thousand years are included. This calendar shows the historical culture and brilliant achievements of the Silk Road to the world. At the same time, the Great Wild Goose Pagoda and other immovable cultural relics are also included, so that the calendar presents richer and more three-dimensional elements of the Silk Road. Readers can appreciate different pictures of relics and record daily life while using the calendar, which are practical functions. For many, the calendar is an introduction to the world of fine art, which showcases the culture and history of China, and also promotes the outstanding techniques and wisdom of ancient craftsmen.

Fridge Magnets Designed in National Treasures Series (国宝系列冰箱贴)

Thanks to the popularity of the TV show "National Treasure" and the documentary "If National Treasures Speak," many museums and interesting cultural relics have come to people's eyes. The following series of refrigerator magnets shaped in national treasures in Shaanxi History Museum are also up to expectations. Each one is worth buying home. Zinc-alloy refrigerator magnets adopts lines to enhance the stereoscopic impression, and modeling is based on the collection of Shaanxi History Museum's figurines, Tang Tri-color Horse, Carved Agate Cup with Gold Mouth, etc., of which the best-selling is the Bronze Tiger-shaped Tally, the same style with that on the "national treasure" show, often sell out of stock. If you are refrigerator collectors, this series must not be missed.

More  Cultural and Creative Products Worth Buying in Xi'an Museums

Where to Buy in Xi'an

Commercial centers in Xi 'an are concentrated in the main commercial districts such as East Street(东大街), Jiefang Road (解放路), Xiaozhai (小寨), Tumen(土门), Kangfu Road (康复路) and Weiyang Avenue (未央大道). There are the largest department stores, shopping malls, arts and crafts shops, women's and children's goods shops, etc. Among them, East Street is traditional commercial street in Xi 'an and a good place to go shopping. If you want to buy some tourist souvenirs, you can go to Shuyuanmen Cultural Street and Terracotta Warriors Museum, while the Muslim Quarter is the gathering place of local specialties. If you are interested in antiques, you can go to Huajue Alley Antique Street, Baxian’an Antique Market and the small market of the City God Temple. Be careful not to touch the so-called antiques piled up in order to prevent fraud. For tourists who love shopping, don't miss Xi 'an's most local and authentic market, Bird Market - Xicang (西仓), and Xi 'an's largest flea market is also in this area. In addition, large supermarkets in Xi 'an will basically set up counters for Shaanxi specialty products, where you can buy the specialties with relatively guaranteed quality at reasonable prices.

Popular Local Brands in Xi'an

De Mao Gong 德懋恭

There are many kinds of cakes available in De Mao Gong, which is the time-honored local store in Xi 'an. The crystal cakes are the most famous ones. In addition, moon cakes and peach cakes are also sold in the store, which are good choice for gifts to relatives and friends.

• De Mao Gong (Daxuexi Alley Branch)
  Address: 50 meters Northeast, Intersection of Liuli Street and West Street, Lianhu District (莲湖区琉璃街与西大街交叉口东北50米)
  Tel: 029-87247233
• De Mao Gong (Xi'an Jiaotong University Branch)
  Address: No. 40, Xianning West Road (咸宁西路40号) 
  Tel: 029-89530953

Bell Tower Ice Milk  钟楼小奶糕

Bell Tower Ice Milk is the favorite of local people. The sweet taste may also remind the good times of one’s childhood.

• Bell Tower Ice Milk Store
  Address: No. 1, Jiandong Street (建东街1号) 
  Tel: 029-89535516
• Huamulan Dessert Shop
  Address: No. 113-276, North Street (北大街113号-276号) 
  Tel: 029-87218818, 17792289039

Jia Yong Xin 贾永信

The dry-cured beef and mutton produced by Jia Yong Xin is also well known in Xi 'an, which has many branch stores in the city.

• Qiaoxinkou Jia Yong Xin (Beiyuanmen Branch)
  Address: No.87, Beiyuanmen, Lianhu District (莲湖区北院门87号) 
  Tel: 029-87232282
• Qiaoxinkou Jia Yong Xin (West Street Branch)
  Address: No.396, West Street, Lianhu District (莲湖区西大街396号) 
  Tel: 029-87639066

Ice Peak Beverage 冰峰汽水

In Xi 'an, you can always find it in high-end Chinese restaurants or street snack bars. This popular beverage has grown up with generations of Xi 'an people and tastes the same as before.

Yinqiao Yogurt 银桥酸奶

The local yogurt brand in Xi 'an, it may tastes similar to yogurts of other brands, but it also represents a unique flavor of Xi 'an. You can buy it in supermarkets and roadside stores.

Top Commercial Centers in Xi'an

Commercial centers in Xi 'an are concentrated in the main commercial districts such as Bell & Drum Tower Commercial Centre (钟鼓楼商业区), Giant Wild Pagoda and its surrounding area (大雁塔商业区), Qujiang Commercial Center (曲江商业中心), Jiefang Road (解放路), Xiaozhai (小寨), Tumen(土门) and Kangfu Road (康复路).  Bell & Drum Tower Commercial Centre is the most popular shopping area in Xi’an, with traditional style atmosphere. Xiaozhai and Tumen are attractive to young people with its trendy fashions. Giant Wild Pagoda and its surrounding area is a great place to buy local artworks. While, Kangfu Road commercial area is great destination for wholesale shopping; you can bargain there for the goods you desire at surprisingly low prices.

Bell & Drum Tower Commercial Centre: Most Popular among Locals & Tourists

Bell Tower Commercial Centre is located in the city center and can be called diamond business circle. With the bell tower as the center, it includes four main shopping streets namely the East Street, West Street, South Street and North Street. The main shopping highlights are clothing, electrical appliances and finance. Also, the Muslim Quarter and Shuyuanmen near the Bell and Drum Commercial Center are great places to eat delicious local snacks or buy souvenirs, making this shopping area the most popular one among local people and tourists.

Address: No.38, West Street8 (西大街38号) 
Transportation: Take No.4, No.36 buses, get off at Bell Tower (north) stop, or Line 2 subway, get off at Bell Tower stop
Recommended Shopping Malls: Kai Yuan Shopping Mall (开元商场), Century Ginwa Shopping Mall (世纪金花), Parkson Shopping Center (百盛), Central Plaza (中环银泰) and Xingzhengyuan Plaza (兴正元广场)

Xiao Zhai Commercial Center: Popular among Young People

Xiaozhai Commercial Center is known as Xi 'an's "chic landmark" and the "Sanlitun" of the ancient city of Xi 'an. It was once the "sub-CBD" of Xi 'an after the Bell Tower Commercial Center. It is the most important full-featured shopping district in the southern suburbs, Featuring youth, fashion and personalized styles. There are a number of shopping malls and department stores integrating shopping, leisure, entertainment, dining and other functions in Xiao Zhai, such as Saga, Parkson and Jinsha, etc. Local young people, especially students are the main consumers in this area.

Address: Intersection of Xiaozhai West Road and Chang'an Middle Road, Yanta District (雁塔区小寨西路与长安中路交汇处) 
Transportation: There are many buses reaching there, you can take buses No. 5,12,14,19,24,26,30,34,36,215,229,239,323,400 or  Line 2 subway, get off at Xiaozhai stop.
Recommended Shopping Malls: Saga, Harbour City (海港城) and Feixuan Shopping Center (飞炫购物中心)

Qujiang Commercial Center: The largest new thriving cultural business center

Qujiang Commercial Center is a national cultural industrial park. Relying on the advantages of “cultural relics, culture tourism", it focuses on tourism, leisure, consumption and shopping, with Tang culture as the background and Tang elements as the main line. Leisure and entertainment also include Xi 'an Fine Arts Hall, Concert Hall, Grand Theater, Film Center and other places, forming a distinctive cultural tourism and commercial experience area. Qujiang combines multiple elements of history and modern times. Visiting here is like being in the charming scenery of the city and dreaming back to Datang. It’s a large-scale comprehensive commercial area with Tang style as its theme, including historical culture and folk culture.

Address: Yannan Road, Yanta District (雁塔区雁塔南路) 
Transportation: There are many buses reaching there. You can take buses No. 23,24,237,500,,609,619,715 or subway Line 4, and get off at South Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda stop.
Recommended Shopping Malls: Xinlehui (新乐汇), Wal-Mart

More Top Commercial Centers in Xi'an

Popular Shopping Streets in Xi'an

The following sites are the shopping places where tourists are most concentrated. Each shopping street has its own characteristics and is not far from each other. There are countless commodities from specialty delicacies to tourist souvenirs for your choice.

Muslim Quarter (回民街)

Address: No. 125(1-51), Beiyuanmen, Lianhu District (莲湖区北院门125号1-51)
Transportation: Bus: No. 618, 15, 205, get off at Bell Tower (west) stop; Subway: Line 2, get off at Bell Tower stop
Recommended Highlights: Place of local food collection; must-go place for tourists travel to Xi’an for the first time; nearly 300 kinds of special flavor snacks are served such as Roujiamo, Pomao and Liang Pi, etc.

Shuyuanmen Shopping Street (书院门)

Address: 150 meters Northeast, Intersection of South Gate Roundabout and Shuncheng Alley, Beilin District (碑林区南门环岛与顺城巷交叉口东北150米)
Transportation: Bus: No. 600,603,12,701, get off at Nanmen (li)/ South Gate stop; Subway: Line 2, get off at Yongning Gate stop
Recommended Highlights: It is a street full of cultural products in the daytime, you can buy some calligraphy and painting items, while in the evening it is filled with tourists coming for local snacks.

Luomashi Pedestrian Street (骡马市步行街)

Address: East Street, Beilin District (碑林区东大街)
Transportation: Bus: No. 502,706,707,k706, get off at Luomashi stop.
Recommended Highlights: Known as "Wangfujing" in Xi 'an, It is the busiest shopping area in Xi 'an full of small shops featuring a variety of groceries, boutiques, luggage and clothing as well as food plaza.

Huajue Alley (化觉巷)

Address: Northwest Corner of Drum Tower, Beilin District (碑林区鼓楼西北隅)
Transportation: Bus: No. 702, get off at Ashuyuanmen stop.
Recommended Highlights: Old street of ancient style decoration; the best place to buy tourist souvenirs; visit Muslim Temple.

Xi Cang (西仓)

Address: Lianhu District (莲湖区)
Transportation: Buses to Sajinqiao or Lianhu Park stop.
Recommended Highlights: The most popular bird and flower market in Xi’an, a good place to experience the local life.

Keep Reading

• Muslim Quarter
• Shuyuanmen Shopping Street 
• Luomashi Pedestrian Street
• Huajue Alley
• Xicang Bird and Flower Market

Top Shopping Malls in Xi'an

There are many shopping malls in Xi’an, such as Century Ginwa Shopping Mall, Kai Yuan Shopping Mall, Saga Shopping Mall, Minsheng Department Store, Golden Eagle Shopping Market and Wanda Plazas, as well as the new arising Datang Everbright City, Momopark and Joy City. They provide a wide variety of good quality products including food, clothing, electronics, jewelry and they also try to meet the demands of different classes of customers.

Datang Everbright City (大唐不夜城)

Datang Everbright City is located at the foot of the world-famous Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Qujiang new district of Xi' an. It is a one-stop shopping paradise integrating shopping, catering, entertainment, leisure, tourism and commerce with the background of Tang culture, taking Tang elements as the main theme.

Address: South Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Yanta District  (雁塔区环塔南路东段6号大雁塔南广场)
Transportation: Buses No. 5,21,27,30,41,224,271,401,408, get off at South Square stop or subways Lines 3, 4, get off at Giant Wild Goose Pagoda stop.

Joy City (大悦城)

Xi 'an Joy City is a new arising shopping center located beside the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. It has a total construction area of 146,500 square meters and a total of 6 floors, and is designed into a comprehensive commercial building integrating recreation, catering, fashion retail, life experience, fashion sports, hanging gardens, creative entertainment and parent-child activities, etc. The most luxury brands/international beauty brands/fashion brands/lifestyle brands are all gathered here as well as the food collections from all over the world, making Joy City a new landmark of Xi 'an's fashion trend.

Address: No. 66, Ci'en West Road,  Yanta District (雁塔区慈恩西路66号)
Transportation:  Lines 3, 4, get off at Giant Wild Goose Pagoda stop.

Momopark 

A new fashionable art shopping mall in Xiaozhai Commercial Center, integrating themes of fashion, art, nature, style, life, food and amusements. As a fashion icon, you must not miss it during your Xi’an tour.

Address: No. 66, Ci'en West Road,  Yanta District (小寨西路与含光路交叉口东南角)
Transportation: Buses No. 921,14,24,34,46,106,204,225,313 or subway Lines 3, get off at Jixiang Village Stop

More Top Shopping Malls in Xi'an.

Top Bookstores in Xi'an

As an ancient cultural city of China, Xi’an has many bookstores to explore. Almost all kinds of books can be found in the bookstores including books on literature, academics, art, economics, politics, education, practical life, engineering, science and technology, computers, as well as some old books. In recent years, bookstores are designed into cultural recreation places with unique decorations and nice atmosphere, besides reading or buying books, you can also have a good time at the bookstores. The following is the most worth visiting bookstores in Xi’an.

Xi'an Antiquarian Bookstore (西安古旧书店)

Antiquarian books, thread-bound books, these nouns seem to be far away from us. The antiquarian book industry, once a thriving cultural industry, is also quite strange to us nowadays. However, as an important cultural component in human history, antiquarian book will revive rather than decline.

Location: No. 102, Nanyuanmen, Beilin District (碑林区南院门102号)
Opening Hours: 09:00-19:00

Yan Ji You  (言几又)

The books have the same content and the same price as the ones in other bookstores, while the difference lies in the comfortable atmosphere. Exquisite decoration is one of the major features of the book store. In addition to full collection of books and nice atmospheric environment, there is also a section left out for art crafts such as Retro keyboards, alarm clocks, European ornaments and gift bags. Even if you don't read, choosing a gift here is also a good choice.

Location: Building B, Maike Business Center, Intersection of Zhangba 2rd Road and Jinye Road (锦业路与丈八二路交叉口迈科商业中心B栋)
Opening Hours: 09:00-21:00

Qujiang Bookstore

Located nearby Tang Paradise, Qujiang Bookstore is known as one of the most beautiful libraries in Xi’an. Different from the traditional bookstores, it integrates books, shopping, leisure, culture and entertainment together, providing readers a novel cultural experience. The total area of the bookstore is 18,000 square meters with 4 floors, including nearly 120,000 kinds of books, making it a book center rather than a store. The decoration style of Qujiang Bookstore is simple and fashionable with modern style. 

Location: 1F, Building No. 10, Furong Xintiandi Square, intersection of South Furong Road and West Furong Road (雁塔区芙蓉南路1号芙蓉新天地10号楼)
Opening Hours: 10:00-21:00

More Top Bookstores in Xi'an.

Further Reading

• Top Supermarkets in Xi'an 
• Top Clothing Markets in Xi'an

Xi’an Shopping Tips

• International bank cards are not widely accepted in Xi’an. Therefore, bringing some RMB cash is always necessary. Or you can choose WeChat or Alipay to pay; they are recognized widely from big shopping malls to roadside convenience stores.
• As the shopping centers are always very crowded, especially during weekends and holidays, you should take care of your belongings.
• It is recommended that you negotiate to lower prices when buying things from wholesale markets, street vendors or some small stores. However, bargaining is not acceptable at shopping malls and supermarkets.