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 fitting takes place in a studio near the Dayan Pagoda and the shoot in the garden; both are step-free, and the garden paths are flat.
Q: Can men and children take part, or is this only for women?
A: Everyone can. The wardrobe holds men's round-collared robes, scholar's robes and children's sizes from 110 cm, and about a third of our bookings are families or couples. Men usually choose a Ming-style scholar's robe with a belt and a folding fan; children are fitted with a small ruqun or a warrior's tunic. The stylist does hair and light makeup for anyone who wants it, and nothing is compulsory.
Q: How long does the whole thing take, door to door?
A: About four hours from hotel pickup to hotel drop-off. Forty minutes for the fitting and styling, twenty minutes to the garden gate, ninety minutes of photography, then the lantern walk at dusk. If you add the Tang banquet afterwards, allow six hours. We can compress the shoot to an hour if you are working around a train.
Q: Is the hanfu included, or do we pay the rental separately?
A: It is included, along with hair, makeup and accessories, and it stays with you for the whole session. The price also covers the garden entrance tickets and the photographer's fee. Extra costumes, a second location, printed albums and framed prints are quoted separately, and we will tell you the numbers before you commit rather than afterwards.
Q: What happens if it rains?
A: The garden has covered corridors and two large halls, so light rain is workable and sometimes better - wet stone photographs well. In heavy rain we move the session indoors to a Tang-style courtyard house we use for exactly this, at no extra charge, or move it to another day in your programme. Xi'an's rain is usually short.
Q: Do we need to book ahead, and how far?
A: Two to three weeks is comfortable, and a week is usually enough outside public holidays. The constraint is the photographer rather than the wardrobe: we work with four, and in late April, early October and the National Day week they fill a month out. Sizes above 3XL need a week for the order to arrive.
Q: Do I need a visa to do this in Xi'an?
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 open to travellers from 57 countries entering through 65 designated ports, Xi'an Xianyang among them. Check your nationality against the National Immigration Administration list before booking flights, because the scheme is reviewed and extended periodically.
Q: Which part of the day photographs best?
A: Late afternoon into dusk, which is why we schedule it that way. The garden faces west over the lake, so between four and six the light comes across the water and the peony beds, and the crowd thins after five. Midday is flat and hot. If you insist on morning, the east corridors and the Ziyun Tower terrace are the two places that work.
