Xi'an Beilin Museum (bēilín bówùguǎn 碑林博物馆), 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 a 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.

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.

Phone Number: 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.
Recommended Time for a Visit: Three hours

                          Tags: Travel in Beijing   Travel in Shanghai