Xi’an Beilin Museum

As the museum boasting the maximal amount of ancient stele collections in the country, Xi’an Beilin Museum accommodates not only one of the top four steles in the world, namely the Nestorian Stele, which narrated the history of Christian’s penetration in China, but the Stele about Pu-kung Monk, a stele in honor of the India-originated monk who helped to found Esoteric Buddhism in China.

Sculptures for animals like lion and ostrich are displayed in Sculpture Art Hall of the museum too. Though not indigenous to China, these animals were vividly rendered by ancient sculptors of prominent art talent.

All things, no matter Christian or Esoteric Buddhism, lion from West Asia or ostrich from Africa, all arrived at China through the magical Silk Road - the witness of the fruitful communication of the west and the east.