During the Qing Dynasty, most Han Chinese officials lived in Xuanwumenwai, west of Liulichang. Candidates for imperial examinations from all parts of the country also lived nearby. They had a high demand for books, which made Liulichang become the largest book market in the capital at that time. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the emperor commissioned the compilation of The Si Ku Quan Shu (Complete Library in the Four Branches of Literature). That encouraged booksellers across the country to set up bookstalls and bookshops here. Books were sold in abundance, thus bringing about a booming scene of Liulichang Cultural Street. Up to the 2nd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1876), as many as 270 bookstores were open here. In the early of the Republic years, around 200 shops and workshops provided cultural products here, making 

In 1980, the state renovated and rebuilt the aging, dilapidated six-li street on a large scale. The project was completed in 1984. 59 classical stores of traditional style were built, covering a total building area of 34 thousand m2. Therefore, Liulichang was turned into a high-end cultural products and artworks distributing center featuring books, jade, ceramics, sculpture, bronze wares, calligraphy and painting, and the four stationery treasures of Chinese study, as well as a tourist attraction of ancient Beijing flavor.