Shopping and Souvenirs

Xi'an is a great place to shop for cultural items. Jiefang Lu is a thriving shopping area and offers great window-shopping. Just south of the Drum Tower is Dong Da Jie and Xi Da Jie. This street runs east to west through the city and is lined with many stores. In the Muslim quarter just outside the Great Mosque is the Dajue Xiang Market. Here you'll find a little of everything –antiques, musical instruments and Mao memorabilia, don't expect genuine antiques though.

Shuyuanmen Street, located at east of Nanmenli, offers good knick-knack hunting opportunities amongst replica Ming and Qing dynasties' architecture – anything and everything related to Chinese culture can be found here. Wenbao zhai over at 5 Zhongduan, Yanta Lu is a good place to pick up some local folk art. For the serious antique collector, Zhongtian Ge is a good stop. Located at 65 Shuyuan Men, this store has fine collectables with export certificates.

Xi'an is known for its Tang dynasty tricolored porcelain. The subjects of this pottery are bold and life-like, and the glazed colors are diverse and expressive, though be wary of any shops that claim their wares are "old." As a storehouse of ancient culture, books featuring the calligraphy of famous calligraphers are popular items. Paper cutting is a popular folk art in Shaanxi, on holidays and weddings, villagers decorate their homes with bright (mostly red) paper cuttings that are rich and varied and always feature symbols of good luck. Cashing in on Xi'an's main attraction, replicas of Terracotta Warriors are everywhere; they range from a few inches tall to life-size, with prices of up to several thousand US dollars.