Guihai Forest of Steles Museum, Stone inscription museum in Guilin, China.
The Guihai Forest of Steles Museum holds about 220 upright stone tablets covered with fine characters and illustrations from different periods. The stones fill galleries and courtyards, showing the careful work of engravers who carved each detail into the hard stone.
The stone tablets come from the Tang and Song periods, times when carving texts into stone became an artistic and literary practice. This tradition of inscriptions continued over many centuries and shaped the regional art scene.
The inscriptions carved into stone show how scholars across centuries preserved their writings and ideas. You can see how regional artists and thinkers used these engravings to pass their knowledge and values to future generations.
Visitors should expect to walk through various halls and open areas to see all the stones. Comfortable shoes are practical since the museum requires considerable walking and the tablets are spread across indoor and outdoor spaces.
Some of the oldest stones show brush and pen strokes so fine that they are hard to see today. The engravers intentionally left empty space around the characters to enhance the elegance of the writing - a subtle detail that reflects the craftsmanship of that era.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
