9 Art Museums in Xi'an That You Shouldn't Miss

Reviewed By TanSuoTravel - London, United Kingdom

The Gao Family Mansion is tucked away on one of the smaller and less crowded streets within the Muslim Quarter of Xi'an, but it's not to be missed! This hidden gem is a real treat for those who want to see a siheyuan (四合院) or "Chinese quadrangle courtyard" and have a unique experience of Shaanxi culture at the same time. The courtyard itself has been beautifully preserved and makes for a wonderful break from the chaos of the Muslim Quarter, as it is rarely crowded and surprisingly peaceful. You could easily spend an hour wandering through the beautifully furnished rooms of the courtyard itself and admiring the level of detail that has gone into its preservation. The real highlight of the trip for us, however, was watching the opera and shadow puppetry performances that the courtyard hosts every day at specific intervals. These performances run reasonably regularly throughout the day, but be sure to check the schedule in advance, as the last performance normally starts at around 6pm. The opera performance is unlike any we've ever seen before! It was not polished or professional, but full of vigour and enthusiasm. It was more like traditional folk music than an opera, but we loved it nonetheless. The shadow puppet performance tells the classical Chinese story known as "Journey to the West." Although the entire performance is in Chinese, it is a simple children's story and thus easy to follow even if you don't understand the language. Much like the opera performance, the puppeteer is clearly very passionate about this folk art and was thus bursting with enthusiasm throughout the performance. In short, if you plan on visiting the Muslim Quarter, definitely make time for the Gao Family Mansion!