Forest of Stone Steles Museum 西安碑林博物馆Xī'ān Bēilín Bówùguǎn

Why go to Forest of Stone Steles Museum

Just inside the city wall, a short walk east of the South Gate, this museum grew from a collection of inscribed stone tablets (steles) set up at the Confucian temple and prefectural school in 1087, and since an expansion completed in 2025 it has more than 2,000 pieces on display. Walk through the old galleries first, then cross to the new north building for calligraphy by Tang masters such as Yan Zhenqing, four of the six Tang reliefs of Emperor Taizong's warhorses and the Nestorian Stele.

The story

The Nestorian Stele, carved in 781 in Chinese and Syriac, records the spread of the Church of the East, an early Christian church, in Tang China. After a Danish visitor tried to acquire it and take it abroad, it was moved into the museum in 1907.

What to see at Forest of Stone Steles Museum

• Kaicheng Stone Classics 开成石经: Twelve Confucian classics carved on 114 stone slabs in the 830s, some 650,000 characters in all; the core of the collection.
• Nestorian Stele 大秦景教流行中国碑: A Tang tablet from 781 in Chinese and Syriac recording the Church of the East in China; look for the Syriac names on the sides.
• Six Steeds of Zhaoling 昭陵六骏: Relief carvings of Emperor Taizong's warhorses from his tomb, among the finest Tang stone sculptures.
• Yan Zhenqing steles 颜真卿碑刻: A set of tablets by the Tang calligrapher, including the Duobao Pagoda Stele; the museum holds several of his best-known works, so it is a draw for calligraphy lovers.
• Confucian Temple buildings 孔庙建筑: The museum occupies the old Confucian Temple, where the screen wall, archway, pond, and stele pavilions are mostly Ming and Qing structures.

How to visit Forest of Stone Steles Museum

Start at the main entrance on Sanxue Street and walk the temple axis through the old galleries first, then cross to the new north building, as the summary describes. Plan around two hours for the highlights and longer if you read the inscriptions. Shuyuanmen, a lane of calligraphy and brush shops, is beside the museum and makes an easy follow-up.

How to get to Forest of Stone Steles Museum

Take Metro Line 2 to Yongningmen and walk about 800 metres east to the main entrance on Sanxue Street, or use the north gate on Dongmutoushi, about 500 metres from exit F of Zhonglou (Bell Tower) station on Lines 2 and 6.

Where to stay

Stay inside the city wall near the South Gate or Bell Tower, within walking distance of the museum and the main sights, with Metro Line 2 close by.

What to eat

• Roujiamo 肉夹馍: Shredded braised pork stuffed into a crisp, round flatbread; Xi'an's best-known street snack.
• Yangrou paomo 羊肉泡馍: Tear a flatbread into small pieces, then watch the cook ladle hot lamb broth over them in a bowl.
• Liangpi 凉皮: Cold wheat or rice noodle 'skins' tossed with chilli oil, vinegar, cucumber and gluten.

Tips for visiting Forest of Stone Steles Museum

• Tickets must be booked in advance for a timed entry slot, up to five days ahead, through the museum's official website, WeChat account or Alipay; passports are accepted.
• The museum is open every day of the week, with no weekly closure day.
• The Nestorian Stele and four of the Six Steeds of Zhaoling are both on the second basement level of the north building; the other two steeds are in the Penn Museum in Philadelphia.

Nearby

• Xi'an City Wall 西安城墙 under 10 km
  Cycle all 14 km of a Ming city wall, high above Xi'an's rooftops
• Bell Tower and Drum Tower 钟楼·鼓楼 under 10 km
  Two Ming towers at the heart of the walled city, where bell and drum once marked the day
• Muslim Quarter 回民街 under 10 km
  Halal street food and a temple-style mosque in the lanes north of the Drum Tower
• Small Wild Goose Pagoda 小雁塔 under 10 km
  A slender Tang brick pagoda, cracked by earthquakes, in the grounds of the Xi'an Museum
• Shaanxi History Museum 陕西历史博物馆 under 10 km
  Tang gold and silver, original tomb murals and finds from Shaanxi's Zhou, Qin and Han past
• Daming Palace National Heritage Park 大明宫国家遗址公园 under 10 km
  Earthen terraces and a rebuilt gatehouse marking out the lost palace of the Tang emperors

Also within 30 km: Yisushe Theatre 易俗社剧场 (under 10 km), Xi'an Incident Memorial Hall 西安事变纪念馆 (under 10 km), Xi'an City God Temple 西安都城隍庙 (under 10 km), Revolution Park 革命公园 (under 10 km), Eighth Route Army Xi'an Office Memorial Hall 八路军西安办事处纪念馆 (under 10 km), Guangren Temple 广仁寺 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open Forest of Stone Steles Museum on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)