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.