Bars, saunas and cruising areas are often the haunts of handsome and particularly rough trade who will lie, cheat and steal. Use common sense when chatting up a new friend.

Lesbian listings

Men in Xian message forum

Xian Gay Scene Updates message forum

Navigating the local gay scene is easy with our interactive Utopia Map of Gay & Lesbian Xian (special thanks to radialhead!):

ChinaMango UTOPIA VERIFIED JUN 2012 135-5294-9596, email. Gay and lesbian-friendly, professional licensed tour guides in Xi'an. Discreet, individual tours for discerning travelers. Day and night tours. Customize a tour for you and your friends at no extra cost. Explore each city's best places for eating, shopping and nightlife. Speedy reply with helpful advice and itinerary suggestions. Utopia Member Discount

Click here for Xian bars and clubs.

Click here for Xian massage and spas for men.

• Known cruising areas are the South Gate public facilities, Utopia Map, as well as the tall and secluded bushes outside Yuxiangmen (Yuxiang Gate) near the West Gate, Utopia Map. UTOPIAN VERIFIED DEC 2010

• De Fa Chang (dumplings)
  Bell Tower Square, Utopia Map, 721-4060, 721-4065. Inside the city walls, in the Chinese-style building opposite the Bell Tower Hotel. Cheap, delicious steamed dumplings (a family-sized portion for just a dollar!) in more than 180 varieties from folk style to royal court. Great view of the imposing Bell Tower. This is a good alternative if you worry about the lack of cleanliness at street-side restaurants. Second branch a little further down the street.
• Kingtown No.1 Restaurant UTOPIAN VERIFIED DEC 2010
  Dongmutoushi St, near South St, Utopia Map. From the Bell Tower, walk in the direction of the South Gate for 5-7 minutes until you see a KFC branch on your left. Then, turn left and walk for 3-5 minutes and you'll see the restaurant on your right. Serves delicious Chinese food. 2/F has a better ambience and service is fast. Prices are reasonable. Try the duck.
• Little Sheep UTOPIAN VERIFIED DEC 2010
  Chang'an Lu (corner of Yanta Xi Lu), Utopia Map. It's 6-7 bus stops south of the Bell Tower. Take Bus No. 603 Bell Tower and get off at Wei Er Jie. The restaurant has the head of a smiling sheep as its logo. One of the more recognized hot pot restaurants with various branches in Xian. The Chang'an Lu branch has a nice atmosphere, quality service and friendly staff. Upon seating, you'll be given a pencil and a checklist of various kinds of meat, fish and vegetables. Although in Chinese, you can always look at the other tables and tell the food server what you want. Better yet, invite a friend as hot pot is always enjoyable with company.
• Muslim Quarter UTOPIA VERIFIED JUN 2012
  Utopia Map. Try a bowl (or two) of Xian-style paomoa noodles in a delicious soup of tender beef strips and tiny chopped pieces of bread pancake. Fresh-grilled skewers of lamb and other delicacies are available everywhere.
• Ren Ren Ju UTOPIAN VERIFIED DEC 2010
  Ren Ren Ju Hotel, Juhuayuan St, at the back the biggest Bank of China branch in Dongda Jie, near the Duanlumen bus station (the 1st bus stop in Dongda Jie after the Bell Tower), Utopia Map. It's the hotel restaurant, but open to non-hotel guests. Serves authentic Chinese cuisine in a modern atmosphere. The restaurant has a picture menu so ordering is easy. Food tastes good and prices are reasonable. The place is full during dinner hours when the waiting time for your order may be long.
• Xinjiang Restaurant UTOPIAN VERIFIED DEC 2010
  Chang'an Nan Lu, Utopia Map. From Xiao Fei Yang, cross the street going south and walk about five minutes to the restaurant. The whole restaurant is on 2/F with a small entrance on G/F so be sure so look up for the Xinjiang sign. It has cuisine markedly different from that in the rest of China. Their specialties are lamb and fish. They have a picture menu so ordering is easy. Try their fried mushrooms. Attracts diners of Middle Eastern and Indian descent and guests who are not the ethnic Han majority.

Click here for Xian saunas for men.