Huajue Xiang Souvenir Street, Xian

The street leading to the Great Mosque in Xian is the Huajue Xiang Street. It is lined with shops selling souvenirs for tourists to take home. Unlike the antique markets of Xian where serious collectors look for authentic objects, this street sells replicas and other souvenirs.

The Huajue Xiang Street has been part of the city of Xian for over a thousand years. It was established during the reign of the Tang Dynasty. At the time it was a small street called Ziwu Xiang. The street has an irregular shape and first runs from east to west and suddenly runs north. There is a traditional Chinese gateway at the entrance of the market. The narrow street flanked by shops stretches all the way to the Great Mosques. Most of the sellers in the souvenir street are Hui people who follow the Muslim faith.

The stores on Huajue Xiang Street sell replicas of all types of traditional Chinese objects. Visitors are encouraged to bargain and are sure to get replicas of an array of objects like jade artifacts and Ming vases at cheap prices. Besides replicas, the stores sell luggage, shoes, jewelry, clothes fans, watches and replicas of terracotta army figure similar to those at the terra cotta museum.