The Stele Forest, or Xi'an Beilin Museum (碑林), is a museum for steles and stone sculptures which is located in Xi'an, China. In 1944 it was the principal museum for Shaanxi Province on the site of what was formerly an 11th century Confucius Temple. Then because of the large number of steles, it was officially re-named as the Forest of Stone Steles in 1992. All together, there are 3,000 steles in the museum, which is divided into seven exhibitions halls, which mainly display works of calligraphy, painting and historical records.

The Stele Forest began with the Kaicheng Shi Jing Steles (开成石经碑) and Shitai Xiao Jing Steles (石台孝经碑), two groups of steles both carved in the Tang dynasty and displayed in the temple to Confucius in Chang'an. In 904, a rebel army sacked Chang'an, and the two stele were evacuated to the inner city. In 962, they were again moved to the rebuilt temple to Confucius. In the Song Dynasty (1087), a special hall, with attached facilities, was built to house and display the two Stele groups. It was damaged in the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake during the Ming dynasty.

It houses nearly 3000 steles and it is the biggest collection of steles in China. Most of its exhibits are steles of the Tang Dynasty. Ink rubbings of the steles are available for sale.
Among the unusual examples is a 18th-century stele depicting a Yangtze River flood control project. Another appears to be a bamboo forest, but on examination the leaves and branches form a poem.

Exhibition Hall One mainly displays the text of twelve Confucian classics carved on 14 steles. The twelve works including the Analects of Confucius, Books of Changes, Books of Songs and some others. These twelve classics are must-be readings for intellectuals of China's feudal society. The stones were engraved over thousands of years ago when the printing was not yet invented. In order to well preserve these works and pass down to the later generations, the rulers ordered to carved them down on these stones.

Hall Two exhibit steles of calligraphy written by the prominent calligraphers of China's ancient Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty witnessed a flowering of creativity in many fields. Chinese classic calligraphy reached its golden age during this time. Visitors will find works of Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, Zhangxu and many other noted ancient calligraphers in this hall.

Hall Three also show calligraphy works. These steles were inscribed with five varieties of calligraphy, seal characters, official script, regular script, running hand and cursive hand. From these steles, visitors can have a clear idea of the development of Chinese writing. Chinese calligraphy forms an important part in China's magnificent culture, so these stone tablets are of great importance to explore China's long and magical ancient culture.
Hall Four contains various stone sculptures. 200 works from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty were displayed, including portraits of Confucius, scripture of Buddhists from the Tang Dynasty and much more.

Hall Four, Five, Six and Seven also well worth a visit. Hall Five shows steles engraved with historical records of the Song to Qing Dynasties, China's last imperial power. Many famous and of significant importance poems were displayed in Hall Six and Seven.

Travel Information:
Tel: 029-87258448
Address: Wenyi Bei Lu 18
Ticket Fee: CNY 45 (Mar. to Nov.), CNY 30 (Dec. to Feb.)
Opening Hours: 08:00 to 18:45 (Summer)
08:00 to 18:00 (Winter)
Traffic: Take tourism bus No.14, 402, 239 to get there.

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Xi’an Beilin Museum