Stele Forest

The Stele Forest, also known as the Beilin Museum, is a museum in Xi'an that houses nearly 3,000 stone steles and sculptures. It is located in a former Confucian Temple and is divided into seven exhibition halls displaying Chinese calligraphy, painting, and historical records.

Don't miss

• The Kaicheng Shi Jing Steles and Shitai Xiao Jing Steles, two groups of Tang-dynasty steles that began the collection.
• An 18th-century stele depicting a Yangtze River flood control project.
• A stele that appears to be a bamboo forest, but the leaves and branches form a poem.
• The Xi'an Stele, moved here in 1907 after a Danish adventurer tried to take it out of the country.
• The Four Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum, Tang-dynasty stone sculptures.
• Buddhist sculptures from the fifth through ninth centuries.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Stele Forest

Cheapest way inTerracotta Army, Big Wild Goose Pagoda&City Wall Full Day Tour4.8★ · 56 travelers~8 hoursFree cancellationFrom$20 per personSee dates →Best full dayMini Group Xian Day Tour to Terracotta Army, City Wall, Pagoda and Muslim Bazaar4.9★ · 1,546 travelers9-10 hoursFree cancellationFrom$24 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleXi’an Private Day Tour:Terracotta Army, City Wall, Pagoda&Pottery5★ · 31 travelers~8 hoursFree cancellationFrom$25 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• Ink rubbings of the steles are available for sale.
• The museum is housed in a former Confucian Temple.

A bit of history

The collection began with two groups of Tang-dynasty steles displayed in Chang'an's temple to Confucius. After a rebel army sacked Chang'an in 904, the steles were moved to the inner city, then returned to a rebuilt temple in 962. In the Song dynasty, a special hall was built to house them. The museum was damaged in the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake. It became a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 1961, which helped it survive the Cultural Revolution.