In 1949, Liulichang still had over 170 shops. In 1956, following the transition to joint state- private ownership, many of the small shops were amalgamated into large yet uniquely individual enterprises.

There are also shops for paper, scroll-mounting, book binding and the carving of stone tablets and name seals. The most famous of these is Rongbaozhai (Studio of Glorious Treasures), which has a history of over 200 years. Here internationally renowned reproductions of Chinese paintings are made using the traditional technique of woodblock color printing. It was the craftsmen of Rongbaozhai who reproduced in six volumes the collection of Beiping Woodcut Stationery With Illustrated Poems Edited by Lu Xun and Zheng Zhenduo in 1933.

In 1979, the State Council approved a recommendation to restore and expand Liulichang. The original shops have been restored and the road broadened into a 15-meter-wide pedestrian mall. A museum displaying classical paintings, calligraphy and other antiquities tells the story of the old street.

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