Central Shaanxi

Xi'an Beilin Travel Guide

Stone Library · Yan, Liu, Ou, Chu · Six Steeds of Zhaoling

The Xi'an Beilin Museum is China's largest stone library, with over three thousand steles arranged from the Han Dynasty to the Republic of China. The original carvings of Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, and Ouyang Xun are all here, and calligraphy enthusiasts often find it hard to keep walking.

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Destination Details

Key facts

Best seasonAll year

Suggested stay2 hours

Key highlightsShitai Classic of Filial Piety · Yan Family Ancestral Hall Stele · Zhaoling Six Steeds · Stone Carving Museum

TrafficYou can reach it on foot from Wenchang Gate of Xi'an City Wall

RemindThe lighting inside the hall is dim, so you need to get close to read the inscriptions.

Beilin is located inside the Wenchang Gate of Xi'an's ancient city wall. It originated in the Northern Song dynasty as a prefectural school established to preserve the "Shitai Xiaojing" and the "Kaicheng Stone Classics." Over the past nine hundred years, it has gradually collected inscriptions, and today it houses more than 3,000 stone tablets, making it the earliest and largest collection of ancient steles in China.

Main Highlights

Famous Calligraphy Steles

Exhibition rooms one through seven are arranged chronologically. Yan Zhenqing's "Yan Family Ancestral Hall Stele," Liu Gongquan's "Xuanmi Pagoda Stele," Ouyang Xun's "Huangfu Dan Stele," and Chu Suiliang's "Yan Pagoda Shengjiao Preface" are all original carvings. It is recommended to rent a guide; viewing each piece takes about two hours.

Stone Carving Hall and the Six Steeds of Zhaoling

The hall displays stone carvings from Han and Tang dynasty tombs. Among the Six Steeds of Zhaoling, the four currently preserved in Beilin are masterpieces of Tang-era reliefs, with the horses' postures and battle wounds depicted with extreme accuracy.

Suggested Route

Two-hour version: Shitai Xiaojing Pavilion → Exhibition rooms 1 to 7 → Stone Carving Hall.
Combine with the city wall, Academy Gate, and Guanzhong Academy for a half-day tour of southern Xi'an.

Practical Information

It is located inside Wenchang Gate of the city wall, and can be reached conveniently after climbing the wall. The exhibition rooms are dimly lit, requiring close proximity to read the inscriptions. Rubbings and calligraphy copybooks are sold at the entrance, priced significantly higher than in city bookstores.