Liulichang is known throughout China and the world for its ancient books, calligraphy, paintings, rubbings, ink stones and ink. The street, which is only 750 meters long, is located south of Hepingmen Gate within walking distance of the Hepingmen Quanjude Peking Duck Restaurant.

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Liulichang was a favourite haunt for scholars, painters and calligraphers that gathered there to write, compile and purchase books, as well as to paint and compose poetry. By the Kangxi Emperor's reign (1661-1722), Liulichang had become a flourishing cultural centre and was described as having "homes and buildings lined up like fish scales." During the Qianlong Emperor's reign (1736-1796), the street was even more prosperous. There one could find "rooms filed to the roof beams with all kinds of books," "a street filled with treasures and trinkets," and the "quintessence of all the markets in the capital concentrated in one street." 

Today, the original shops have been restored and the road broadened into a 15-meter-wide pedestrian mall. A museum displaying classical paintings, calligraphy and other antiquities tells the story of the old street. There are also shops for paper, scroll-mounting, book binding and the carving of stone tablets and name seals. The most famous of these is Rongbaozhai (Studio of Glorious Treasures), which has a history of over 200 years. Here internationally renowned reproductions of Chinese paintings are made using the traditional technique of woodblock colour printing.

Address: No. 19 Liulichang West St., Xicheng District, Beijing