It’s day 9 of my Beijing to Xi’an trip. Today, I would enjoy a Hanfu photoshoot experience in Xi’an, and explore Great Tang All Day Mall, also known as Great Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City.
To recap, we’d began our trip in Beijing and travelled westward towards Xi’an, making several stops in between and covering interesting sights such as Yellow River and Mount Yun.
Day 9 was our third day in Xi’an and it would be a rather relaxing day, with the main highlight being to get a nice photoshoot in this ancient city of China. This, if you can recall, is my second Hanfu photoshoot experience of the trip. I also did one in Pingyao Ancient City.
Do browse the day-by-day recap to catch up on the journey so far — otherwise, let’s jump straight into Day 9!
- Day 1: From Singapore to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven
- Day 2: Step back in time at Pingyao Ancient City (UNESCO Gem)!
- Day 3: Hanfu & Photoshoot Experience in Pingyao Ancient City
- Day 4 (AM): Yellow River Waterfall: Travel Hiccups & Most Stressful Day
- Day 4 (PM): Hidden Gems at Mount Yun
- Day 5: Great Ladder Cliff of Yellow River
- Day 6: Lee Family Courtyard in Shanxi
- Day 7: Things to do and eat in Xi’an
- Day 8: Is Mount Hua worth a visit?
Lunch & Local Food in Xi’an
Finally, we could “wake up naturally” today, after a rather punishing itinerary the day before at Mount Huashan. At 11am, we walked to a nearby alley to try Xi’an’s local dishes.
At this eatery, we ordered Beef Pao Mo (泡馍). It’s a common Shaanxi dish, in which you tear a pita bread into tiny pieces and add them to a bowl of hot stew, either with lamb, beef or other meat.
I’m not crazy over this dish as it’s heavy on carbs, which I found to be a common trait in Shaanxi and Shanxi cuisine. Still, it’s worth trying local food so that we know what Pao Mo is and tastes like.
By the end of the meal, we were perspiring within the hot “greenhouse” eatery. Airconditioning seemed to be a rare commodity in this part of China.
Hanfu Costume Search near Xi’an Bell Tower
There are lots of Costume Rental shops in Xi’an. I was contemplating renting one near where I stayed (Bell Tower) or getting it from Great Tang All Day Mall where I could get the photoshoot done there and then.
Did you know? Great Tang All Day Mall is a 1,500m pedestrian street with Tang style architecture and scheduled street performances in the middle of the street.
It’s a popular place to soak in the Tang Dynasty vibes and a common sight to see people dressed in traditional Hanfu.
I shopped around the Bell Tower and found a sizeable shop that offered costume rental at ¥129. Unfortunately, their selection of Song-style costumes were pretty limited. Do note that I’m the odd one out here – people in Xi’an typically opt for Tang costumes, which better match the city’s history.
My obsession with Song costumes comes from growing up watching many “Jin Yong” period drama, and I really wanted to see myself in one. That said, if I am ever to revisit Xi’an, I will definitely go for a Tang costume, which is more aligned to the history and architecture setting in Xi’an.
I’d wanted to continue searching for a style I could settle on, but it was so hot that I felt that I needed a drink immediately. I was that thirsty! Good that a milk tea chain was located just one level below the costume rental shop.
But once I had the drink in hand, the desire to shop for costumes quickly faded. I decided to explore other attractions first.
Shaanxi Museum in Xi’an
We’ve heard how good Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆) is, but also read how tough it was to get the free admission ticket (Location: Baidu | Google).
We’ve made many attempts to get the tickets online, but failed. Not giving up, we decided to visit the museum in person to try our luck.
On our way there, we passed by an interesting shop, similar to a 100-yen shop in Japan and loaded on some impulse purchases.
Common complain that day – it’s darn hot! Super hot! Melting hot!
In any case, we didn’t manage to get admission to Shaanxi museum. Wonder why ticket is so hard to come by.
Shopping & Dining in SAGA Mall
To hide from the heat, we found ourselves in a nearby shopping mall.
SAGA mall (赛格国际购物中心) is a modern, large and popular mall, with trendy items and ample food options (see location).
I bought some miscellaneous stuff from KKV outlet, such as a fragrant hand cream, miniature Chinese alcohol and the much-needed handheld fan. Also noted that Decorte Zen Wear Foundation costs ¥330, which was almost the same price as Singapore’s $66.
We shopped a bit before having a meal at the popular Saga Food Court located at B2. Here’s what we bought – Beef Chive Dumplings (¥18), mala skewers (¥22), prawn paste balls and beef biscuit.
The Beef Chive Dumplings stood out and were yummy!
Hanfu Photoshoot Experience @ Great Tang All Day Mall
At around 5pm (when the heat was less punishing), I made my way to Great Tang All Day Mall in search of the Song style costume I was looking for (Location: Baidu | Google).
As soon as I got out of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda station (see location), I was approached by a swarm of relentless touters asking me if I needed costume rental. Competition is stiff here, and you can get very good prices. But it may be hard to settle on one, or to know if the cheap ones are good.
I retreated to a quiet alley and chanced by a small rental shop. As it seemed “less menacing”, I decided that it was harmless to try on some costumes – both Tang and Song style.
How much for Costume Rental & Photoshoot in Xi’an?
At this random shop, I opted for a ¥199 package that included photoshoot (30 raw photos with 5 edits). That’s less than S$40.
Online Hanfu Booking: Post-trip, I also saw a few Hanfu packages available online such as this one that seemed cheaper than what I’ve paid. You can also browse Douyin to see if there are any packages open for group booking.
Xi’an Hanfu Makeup Experience
(6.30pm)
In Xi’an, the trend is “very white face”. Some would also chase for “internet celebrity” (网红) makeup that was too dramatic for my liking. So, right from the start, I told the young makeup artist that I wanted a natural look.
I don’t think the shop is very professional and hence won’t be recommending it. For instance, they gave me a big Tang hairdo when I was wearing a Song costume. They also did not provide ear rings, and asked for an additional fee (¥20) for eyelashes even though they’d initially said this would be included.
Hanfu Photoshoot @Great Tang All Day Mall
I was led to an old building to meet a photographer, who then brought me to three different spots for photoshoot. One of them has the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda as the backdrop.
It was an easy experience as the photographer was very friendly and taught me how to pose. The only major discomfort was the heat. Xi’an was still very hot in September!
Photo Selection: Hanfu Experience in Xi’an
(8.30pm)
After the photoshoot, we returned to the same building to wait for the photos to be ready for selection.
I didn’t wait for long and was done with the photo selection in no time. The chap was quite friendly. Though he also asked me to pay more for additional edits, he wasn’t pushy (unlike my experience at Pingyao Ancient City).
He even automatically reduced the price to ¥10 per edited photo, which I thought was reasonable. So I topped up ¥100 for extra 10 pieces. All in all, I spent ¥299 for 30 raw photos and 15 edited photos.
Comparing the edited photos, I thought Pingyao’s were more professionally done. The Xi’an edited photos seemed overly touched-up, and I wondered if it was done through mobile beauty app.
TIP: I got the edited photos a few days later via Baidu shared drive. So do note you may need to set up Baidu shared drive to receive the photos.
Wearing History: Hanfu Experience in Pingyao and Exploring Linfen City (China Day 3)
Xi’an Hanfu Experience (Part 2 – DIY shoot)
(9.30pm)
After the photoshoot, I walked over to Joy City mall (大悦城 – see location) to meet my partner and to hydrate myself from the immense heat.
One of Joy City Mall’s highlights is a giant Sun Wukong that stretches across several storeys.
We then continued with Part 2 of the shoot, with my partner now being my photographer! :)
He helped me take lots of nice photos with Great Tang All Day Mall and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda serving as backdrops.
We then returned to our hotel, located near Xi’an Bell Tower. If you worry about wearing costumes in public, don’t. It’s a common sight in Xi’an!
At Xi’an Bell Tower, my partner helped take a few more shots. Nice, I’ve accomplished one of the key things I’d wanted to do in Xi’an. :)
More Xi’an Hanfu Tips: This website shares some basic things to look out for when planning a Hanfu experience in Xi’an, such as how much time to spare and what shoes to wear.
This ends the day and I was pretty happy with the experience, aside from the intense heat. Stay tuned for more things to do and eat in Xi’an.
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- Day 1: From Singapore to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven
- Day 2: Step back in time at Pingyao Ancient City (UNESCO Gem)!
- Day 3: Hanfu & Photoshoot Experience in Pingyao Ancient City
- Day 4 (AM): Yellow River Waterfall: Travel Hiccups & Most Stressful Day
- Day 4 (PM): Hidden Gems at Mount Yun
- Day 5: Great Ladder Cliff of Yellow River
- Day 6: Lee Family Courtyard in Shanxi
- Day 7: Things to do and eat in Xi’an
- Day 8: Is Mount Huashan worth visiting?
