The flower and bird market is an old urban institution in China, and it has nothing to do with shopping in the modern sense. It began as a place to buy potted plants and cage birds, and it grew into a general market for the small pleasures of domestic life: goldfish in plastic bags, crickets in carved gourd containers, songbirds, orchids, bonsai, jade trinkets, calligraphy brushes and the paraphernalia of keeping all of it alive. Xi'an's version is a working, unpolished market that starts early and is at its best before nine in the morning.
What is sold
The bird section is the heart of it: rows of bamboo and lacquered cages, some of them old and finely made, with thrushes, mynas and canaries inside, and owners who gather simply to compare birds and talk. Alongside the birds are the accessories - water and seed containers in porcelain, cage covers, perches, and the small tools used to trim and groom. The plant section runs to orchids, jasmine, peonies in season, miniature pines and flowering quince, sold either as bare stock or already potted in the blue-and-white or stoneware containers that Chinese gardeners prefer. There is usually a fish section as well, with bowls of goldfish and koi and the tanks and food to go with them.
How to visit
Come early, walk the whole length once without buying, then go back for what interested you. Prices are quoted per item and are negotiable in a mild way, but the amounts are small; most transactions are by mobile payment. The market is not aimed at visitors and nobody will approach you, which is part of its appeal. Ask before photographing the birds or the vendors, and expect a friendly refusal if you get too close to the cages with a camera.
Practical notes
The market is at its liveliest on weekend mornings and on the mornings of public holidays, when hobbyists from across the city bring birds to show. It is not a major sight and needs no ticket; allow about an hour. A few practical warnings: live birds and plants cannot be taken out of the country, so treat anything you buy as something to enjoy in China rather than to bring home. Combine it with the nearby old streets or with breakfast in the same district, since morning markets and breakfast stalls tend to cluster together.
