Arts Street (Shu Yuan Men), Xian

Arts Street (Shu Yuan Men), Xian (must see)

The Shu Yuan Men Street also called the Arts Street or the Calligraphy Street has shops dating back to over 400 years. They sell Chinese arts, crafts, calligraphy and traditional Chinese paintings.

The Shu Yuan Men Street is a small crowded street located behind the Forest of Steles Museum in Xian. The entrance is through an ancient gate called the South Gate. The street gets its name from the Guanzhong Shuyuan which was once a school for classical learning. Today, the Xian normal School and a primary school are located on the site of the old Guanzhong Shuyuan. The shops retain the old facades of buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The Shu Yuan Men Street has stores selling traditional hand crafted objects. Oriental paintings of different styles are also available at the market. Visitors looking for genuine calligraphy scrolls can buy them at the many stores located here. They also sell calligraphy brushes, inks and other accessories for serious calligraphists. One can also buy jade articles, jewelry, antiques and folk artifacts at the market. The old Muslim Quarter at the northern end of the street has a gallery of traditional Chinese paintings. The gallery is housed in an old Ming style building with a courtyard where artists still produce traditional Chinese paintings.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Xian. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Arts Street (Shu Yuan Men) on Map

Sight Name: Arts Street (Shu Yuan Men)
Sight Location: Xian, China (See walking tours in Xian)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Xian, China

Create Your Own Walk in Xian

Create Your Own Walk in Xian

Creating your own self-guided walk in Xian is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Shopping Streets Tour

Shopping Streets Tour

Back in the day, Xian was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. Foreign traders used to come here to procure local merchandise such as tea, silk, and porcelain that were in high demand internationally throughout centuries.

In recent years, although the commercial center in China has shifted to the coastline area, Xian remains a major destination for quality shopping, especially when it...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles
Historical Religious Sites

Historical Religious Sites

A melting pot of different cultures and faiths, Xian, once the start of the historical Silk Road, for centuries had seen traders from far and wide come to do business. Many a foreigner eventually settled in Xian, bringing along their cuisine, customs, and religious practices. Hence the number of pagodas, Buddhist and Taoist temples, as well as mosques found in the city, some of which trace back...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Xian Introduction Walking Tour

Xian Introduction Walking Tour

Xian became a cultural and political center of China in the 11th century BC and was the capital city of eleven imperial Chinese dynasties.

For a western comparison, Xian closely resembles Rome. At the beginning of the first millennium, there were two major powers sitting at the ends of the civilized world, the Roman Empire in the west and the Han Dynasty in the east, each commanding roughly the...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.4 Km or 2.7 Miles