Xi'an: Two Hours of Brush Calligraphy on Shuyuanmen

Shuyuanmen runs south from the City Wall towards the old Confucian Temple, and it has been the address for brushes, ink, paper and seals in this city for centuries. The shops still sell all four, along with stone chops cut while you wait and the smell of pine-soot ink being ground on a stone. The studio we use is above one of them, one room, six stools and a wall of drying sheets.

Two hours does not make a calligrapher, and any class that promises otherwise is selling something else. What it does is give you the hold, the five strokes and the experience of writing three or four characters until they stop wobbling - which is the moment most people discover why this art form has rules. The teacher works beside you rather than demonstrating from a podium, and the paper you take home is the paper you wrote on.

• A working studio above the brush and ink shops of Shuyuanmen, south of the City Wall
• The brush hold taught properly - upright, in the fingers, not the wrist
• The five strokes every character is built from, drilled until they behave
• Paper, brush and ink yours to keep, plus a red chop on your best sheet
• Two hours is enough for three or four characters at a standard you will keep
• The lane outside: seal carvers, inkstone sellers and paper by the ream
• Runs morning or late afternoon; the studio takes up to six people at a time

• Meals as listed in the daily itinerary (no meals; tea in the studio)
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver throughout
• English-speaking local guide (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian or Japanese on request)
• All entrance fees for the sites listed, including shuttle buses, eco-buses and cable cars where the site requires them
• Local handling and coordination service throughout the programme
• Bottled water (2 bottles per person per day) and audio headsets where group size requires them
• Travel accident insurance for the duration of the tour

• International air tickets and any domestic flights not listed in the itinerary
• China visa or visa-free entry documentation fees
• Meals not specified in the daily itinerary and all beverages/alcohol
• Tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff (suggested USD 8-12 per person per day)
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping
• Optional activities and any item not listed under Price Includes
• Single-room supplement if a traveller requires a room alone
• Seal carving of a personal chop (about CNY 150-400 depending on the stone, paid in the lane)
• Extra studio time beyond two hours, if you want it (quoted on the day)

Published: October 2026 — prices and itinerary reviewed on this date; later updates are shown in the revision note below.

Please read the notes below before you book. The studio is up one flight of stairs with no lift; the lane below is flat and pedestrianised.

Q: I have never held a Chinese brush. Is that a problem?
A: That is the normal starting point. The first twenty minutes are the hold and the wrist, then the five basic strokes on newsprint until your hand stops fighting you. By the end of two hours most beginners can write three characters that they are willing to show someone. Nobody in the studio will be judging your progress against the teacher's.

Q: Will we write on good paper or practice paper?
A: Both. You drill on absorbent practice paper for the first hour, then move to a sheet of proper xuan paper for the characters you want to keep. The brush, the ink and the paper are included and yours to take away, and the teacher seals your best sheet with a red chop so it looks like what it is: a first attempt, dated.

Q: What characters will we write?
A: Usually three: your name transcribed phonetically, a character you choose for its meaning - long life, peace, mountain, tea - and one from a classical poem the teacher likes. If you have a Chinese name already, bring it. Writing your own name in characters is the thing people remember from this session, more than the technique.

Q: Can children join?
A: From about eight years old, and they usually do better than adults because they have not yet decided they are bad at it. The studio has smaller brushes and a stool. Under eight we suggest a parent stays with the child rather than booking two separate places.

Q: Where exactly is the studio, and how do we get there?
A: Shuyuanmen is a five-minute walk from the South Gate of the City Wall, or ten minutes by taxi from the Bell Tower. The studio entrance is between a seal shop and a paper merchant, up one flight of stairs. Your guide meets you at the South Gate and walks you in, which saves the ten minutes of confusion that the lane's numbering causes everyone.

Q: Can we buy brushes and ink to take home?
A: Yes, and the lane is the right place for it - a decent wolf-hair brush runs CNY 40-120, an inkstone from CNY 80, and a box of ink sticks from CNY 60. Your teacher will tell you which shops are honest and which sell tourist grade at collector prices. Liquid ink in bottles cannot go in carry-on, but ink sticks can.

Q: Do I need a visa?
A: Most visitors do not. China's unilateral visa-free scheme covers 50 countries for stays of up to 30 days, and 240-hour visa-free transit is available to 57 nationalities through 65 ports. Check your passport against the National Immigration Administration list before booking flights, as the list is revised from time to time.