Stele Forest Museum

Beilin, China

The Stele Forest Museum preserves inscriptions, epitaphs and sculpture in a setting associated with Xi’an’s former Confucian temple. Rows of upright stone tablets turn writing into an architectural experience, while the carved characters reveal changes in calligraphic style over many centuries. A knowledgeable guide is especially helpful here, since much of the interest lies in what the inscriptions say and why they were preserved. Allow time for the sculpture galleries as well as the celebrated steles.