Xi'an Stele Forest

Xi'an Stele Forest is located on Sanxue Street in the ancient city of Xi'an. The street got its name because three major academies of the Qing Dynasty — Chang'an Academy, Prefectural Academy and Xianning Academy — were all situated here.

As China's premier art repository boasting the earliest collection and the largest number of renowned ancient steles and epitaphs, it is not only a major gathering place for stone-carved ancient Chinese classics, but also a treasure trove of master calligraphy works from successive dynasties, holding tremendous historical and artistic value.

The Stele Forest was first built in the 2nd year of the Yuanyou reign of Emperor Zhezong in the Northern Song Dynasty (1087 AD). At the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, numerous famous stone tablets were left scattered in the streets amid wars and unrest. Lu Dazhong, a water transport commissioner, and other officials initiated the construction to preserve the Stone Platform Classic of Filial Piety and Kaicheng Stone Classics of the Tang Dynasty, as well as steles inscribed by celebrated calligraphers including Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan.

It underwent constant renovations and expansions through the Jin, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties and the Republic of China period, with its scale and collection steadily growing. In 1961, it was designated as one of China's first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.

Today, the Stele Forest houses nearly 3,000 steles and epitaphs dating from the Han Dynasty to modern times, among which 1,089 are on public display. It ranks first nationwide in the total number of collected stone relics. The exhibits cover a complete chronological sequence spanning more than 2,000 years.

Densely arranged like a forest, the steles feature all major calligraphic styles, including seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script and cursive script. Works by countless great masters and exquisite masterpieces can be found everywhere, leaving visitors in awe. The site was named "Stele Forest" for its spectacular landscape of dense stone tablets. With a history of over 900 years, it has become a world-famous artistic treasure renowned for its exclusive collections.

The exhibition halls are symmetrically arranged from south to north along the central axis of the main gate of Lingxing Gate. The southern section consists of temporary themed exhibition rooms. North of the stele pavilion bearing the horizontal board inscribed with "Stele Forest" on the central axis lie the main stele exhibition halls, and the stone carving art hall stands on the west side.

Upon entering the main gate, visitors will see a two-storey pavilion with upturned eaves at four corners, which shelters the renowned Stone Platform Classic of Filial Piety. This rectangular stele is assembled from four stone slabs, standing 5.1 meters tall and resting on a three-tiered stone platform.

The Classic of Filial Piety is a Confucian classic widely valued by feudal dynasties throughout history. In the 4th year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty (745 AD), Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) personally annotated the text and transcribed it in clerical script.