The Forest of Stone Steles Museum, also known as the Xi'an Beilin Museum or simply the Beilin Museum, is found on San Xue Street in Beilin District, in the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province. It is China's first and largest museum devoted to stone inscriptions.
What you will see
The museum holds more than 3,000 steles, the upright stone tablets on which texts and images were carved. They date from the Han to the Qing dynasties, so a walk through the collection covers a long span of Chinese history. Many of the steles preserve ancient calligraphy, while others carry paintings and historical documents, all cut into stone and kept here so that they survive.
Why it suits a visit
- It is a focused museum: if you are interested in Chinese calligraphy, writing or the history of inscriptions, the collection rewards slow looking.
- The steles are the main attraction, so it works well for visitors who enjoy studying objects closely rather than moving quickly through a broad display of artefacts.
- Because it spans from the Han to the Qing dynasties, it offers a sense of how Chinese writing and art changed over many centuries.
The museum is a good choice for a visit in its own right, and it sits within Xi'an, a city with a long history that offers many other sights to pair with it. Check the museum's contact details before you go, at +86-29-87210764, to confirm current arrangements for your visit.
