If you are interested in calligraphy or poetry - this is a must-go-to place for you then. South gate of the city wall and just walk East - can't be missed. More

Well, yeah, EVERYONE comes to Xian to see the Terra Cotta soldiers, but this museum would fill about an hour of your time. The museum includes the largest collection of steles cut in 837 A.D., the oldest existing texts of the Confucian classics, and more than 2000 engraved stone tablets from the Han dynasty. While not exceptionally thrilling, still -... More

We were lucky to have someone to explain to us what we were looking at, or we might have missed things like the earliest christian relic know in china, a budddhist transcript that takes up an entire room or a stone dictionary! More

This Museum is very specific, but well worth visiting it and the neighborhood. Do yourself a favor and hire their superb English guides to get the most from your visit! The calligraphy on the Steles will be beyond most foreigners' experience without a guide (even with the English plaques on the more important pieces and to overview rooms). Watching the... More

This might not be everyone's cup of tea. It contains no moving parts or images. It is a collection of tall stone blocks with Chinese writing on but it shows how the various symbols have change or remained the same over many centuries. There is a record here, too, of the arrival of Nestorian Christianity in China in 635 AD... More

The environment was quiet and tourists were few, the atmosphere was fresh and there was no noise there, so it is perfect for real handwriting enthusiasts visiting now. More

As we entered the Forest of Steles Museum, we were immediately intrigued. The museum is famous for preserving ancient Chinese tablets that stand in great number, just like trees in a forest. These are more than 900 years old. The museum also preserves 3,000 pieces of stone tablets and tombstones. Its stones represent a treasure trove of ancient Chinese calligraphy... More

This museum is much more than its name implies. For one thing, it's a former Confucian temple, spacious and tranquil, with elegant pavilions set amidst grass lawns. In that respect, it's a welcome respite from the pressure-cooker that is Xi'an. Even more important, the museum houses the finest collection of Chinese stone sculpture in the world---true, figural sculpture in the... More

The Beilin Museum is the same as Stone Stelle Forest. The museum is quiet, peacefull, refreshing and restoring, gives you a chance to see how Chinese caligraphy evolved. Actually looks better than most other museums in China since stone tablets don't age, disintegrate or need any special attention. More