Yongxing Fang (永兴坊, Yongxingfang) is a boutique project built in 2007 by Xi’an City, located on the original site of Tang Dynasty Wei Zheng‘s mansion. The project was created to preserve the historical style of Shuncheng Lane and to showcase the ancient city’s historical heritage, thereby enhancing Xi’an’s popularity and influence. The project occupies an area of 15 acres, stretching 130 meters from east to west and 88 meters from north to south.
It features an antique “Fang” and “Si” building complex, archways, leisure green squares, inner streets, well houses, and antique decorations on the exterior walls. The layout combines Guanzhong arches with traditional folk architecture groups, forming an ancient neighborhood-style layout that showcases the street-style form and historical life atmosphere of ancient Chang’an City, as well as traditional folk living spaces.
Yongxing Fang boasts over fifty food vendors from different regions of Shaanxi, offering a diverse range of characteristic and specialty foods, including provincial and municipal-level intangible cultural heritage dishes. Additionally, visitors can enjoy handcrafted folk art performances and indulge in a variety of famous local snacks.
Not only can tourists experience the traditional charm of the “108 alleys in Tang Dynasty City” at Yongxing Fang, but they can also savor authentic Shaanxi folk snacks and purchase locally-produced specialty products, foods, and tourism souvenirs that are processed using traditional folk techniques on site.
Table of Contents
- Basic Information
- Location and Transportation
- Highlights of Yongxingfang
- Vlog about Yongxing Fang
- Useful Tips Summarized from Reviews
Basic Information
| Estimated Length of Tour | 1 – 2 hours |
| Opening Hours | Accessible throughout the day, but most vendors open from 10.00 to 22.00 |
| Ticket Price | Free |
Location and Transportation
Yongxing Fang is situated to the east of the city center, near the Zhongshan Gate of the Xi’an City Wall. The specific address is 15, Donglexiang, Xincheng District, Xi’an, Shanxi. You can get there conveniently by bus.
Bus: Take bus 22, 32, 33, 47, 263, 527, or 702, get off at Zhongshan Gate, walk about 50 meters to the west to reach the attraction.
Highlights of Yongxingfang
Model of 108 Fang in Ancient Chang’an
“Fang” refers to residential compounds in ancient Chang’an during the Tang Dynasty. These compounds were built for various purposes such as providing living quarters for officials, scholars, and imperial guards and were typically enclosed by walls and had their own gates and wells. Fang were organized in a grid pattern, with narrow alleyways separating them. They were designed to be self-contained communities with their own amenities and played an important role in the social and political organization of ancient Chang’an.
Shadow Puppetry
Shadow puppetry is a traditional form of storytelling and entertainment that originated in China over 2,000 years ago. It involves manipulating puppets made of leather or paper, which cast shadows onto a screen or wall lit from behind. Performers use rods and strings to control the puppets’ movements and voices to provide narration and dialogue. Shadow puppetry has been used to convey stories from mythology, history, and folklore, as well as contemporary tales. It is a beloved art form in many parts of the world and has evolved over time with new techniques and styles.
Various Food
Yongxing Fang houses many vendors and restaurants offering local food. One of the most iconic dishes is the Xi’an-style Roujiamo, also known as Chinese hamburger, which is made with seasoned meat stuffed in a flatbread. Another popular dish is the Yangrou Paomo, a lamb stew with crumbled bread that is a hearty staple for locals. Other must-try dishes include the spicy and tangy Biang Biang noodles, crispy and juicy Pao Mo dumplings, and fragrant and savory Liangpi cold noodles.
Vlog about Yongxing Fang
Useful Tips Summarized from Reviews
Non-material Cultural Opera Museum: The Non-material Cultural Opera Museum provides a comfortable environment with amenities such as air conditioning and complimentary tea. Visitors can purchase tickets for the first floor, priced at 50 yuan, which grants access to watch performances from four different opera genres, each lasting approximately half an hour. What’s particularly thoughtful is that subtitles indicating the opera genre and performance title are displayed on screens on both sides, making it easier for audiences to follow along.
Outdoor Opera Stage: Adjacent to the museum, there is an outdoor opera stage where occasional free performances are held. While these performances are not very frequent, they offer a chance for visitors to enjoy live opera in an open-air setting.
Commercialized Food Street with Unique Offerings: Yongxingfang boasts a bustling food street where commercialization is evident, but unlike Huimin Street where shops tend to offer similar items, each establishment here has its own distinctive charm and specialties. Visitors can explore a variety of eateries offering diverse cuisines and unique dishes.
Yongxingfang was relatively quiet, with not many people around. I watched a comedy show with only three audience members, but the performer was great and made a continuous effort to interact with us.
Yongxingfang is quite beautifully decorated, but there aren’t many people around; it’s rather sparse. It seems like there are hardly any tourists in the stalls and shops. However, those shops and stalls don’t look very appealing for food. They are currently hosting a ten-year anniversary event, which includes discounts, performances, and interactive activities where you can receive small gifts by sharing poems.
The Yongxingfang Night Market in winter is not worth visiting. We arrived there at 6:30 PM and left at 7:30 PM; there were hardly any people around. I even asked one of the vendors, and she advised against coming in winter because it’s so quiet. We just took a taxi and left. Goodbye, see you in summer!
Yongxingfang is a must-visit!!
It looks beautiful at night! There are many options to buy small souvenirs and similar items!
The three places I highly recommend visiting are:
1. Intangible Cultural Heritage Food Street
2. Folk Culture Exhibition Area
3. Historical and Cultural Corridor
Don’t go too late, as many shops start to close down. It’s better to arrive before 10 PM!
Xi’an Yongxingfang is a bit small, but it’s quite fun. There are many snacks inside, although I’m not a fan of them. Nearby, there are city walls that you can walk on.
The food inside Yongxingfang is really bad and super expensive. Aside from the tea snacks I bought at the entrance, everything else I’ve tried there has been pretty disappointing.
Yongxingfang (永兴坊) is a fantastic destination for food lovers.
– It offers a wide variety of local snacks that are truly delicious.
– The prices are quite reasonable.
Given its offerings, this place comes highly recommended!
Today is my last day in Xi’an. In the morning, I visited the Yongxing Fang.
It took about half an hour by bus from the hotel to Yοngxīng Street, with signs on the roadside.
There were many people at Yοngxīng Street, and when we arrived at 10 o’clock, most of the shops were already open, offering various Shaanxi snacks.
After resting at the hotel, I took a taxi to Yongxing Fang. It’s a bit like the Laomendong in Nanjing, with a variety of snacks everywhere, definitely a paradise for carb lovers. Since I hadn’t had lunch, I started by ordering a bowl of biangbiang noodles and dug in. That left me too full to try many other things, a regrettable mistake. If you want to try more varieties, you should only order one of each and just take a… Read more »
For people with social anxiety, I really prefer Yongxing Alley, because most things have their prices clearly listed, and overall it’s not considered too expensive. Yongxing Alley is relatively more commercialized compared to Huimin Street and Sa Jin Qiao. Every now and then there are also some intangible cultural heritage performances, which are quite interesting. Yongxing Alley is right next to the city wall, so you can take a look at the Xi’an city wall on the way.