One Child Policy Homeschool - Fun in Xian -- Stele Museum

July 17, 2007 - Fun in Xian -- Stele Museum

What is a stele and how do you pronounce that word? (Thankfully, I only had to say it in Chinese.) Merriam Webster online defines it as a carved or inscribed stone slab or pillar used for commemorative purposes.

Xian has a Stele Museum that was founded over 200 years ago. For me, it was the best musuem in Xian. First of all, it's old, and so the architecture is lovely -- old pavilions, gates, and courtyards surrounded by old trees. Secondly, it's all stone monuments. I love rocks and stones. It was a lovely, quiet place altogether. The atmosphere was totally different from that at the Terracotta Warriors complex.

Basically the museum looks like this -- huge monuments of stone engraved with Chinese characters. Since my reading skills are very minimal, we didn't spend much time poring over each individual stone. Some of the displays were entire books inscribed on walls of stone. Many items were enclosed in glass for protection. But others were wide open and we could touch them.

Below you can see a craftsman making rubbings of a stele. There was a workshop in the back of the museum devoted to this craft. And throughout the pavilions and rooms of the museum we saw workers making rubbings of the exhibits. These rubbings, of course, are for sale so you can take home a piece of history for your very own.

Can you guess what these are? I found this really fascinating!

These are hitching posts for animals! Look carefully and you'll see that each one has a hole where a rope could be passed through and tied.

Can you see the expression on my face is, "Did you take it? Did you get my head in the picture this time?"

If you're planning a trip to Xian, I strongly suggest you spend at least an hour at the Stele Museum. The adult ticket is only 45 RMB (about $6), and children get in for free. (Also in the neighboring area there are some art and caligraphy related tourist shops that looked interesting.)

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July 17, 2007 - ok,. you've convinced me . . .

Posted by amanda

ok,. you've convinced me . . . Xian here I come!!

j/k :)

I've been to ShenYang and Beijing, but that's it. I need to do some exploring in the southern and central parts.

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July 17, 2007 - oh . . and I had a question too

Posted by amanda

"Did you take it? Did you get my head in the picture this time?"

--> Is this direct at DD or DH?

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July 18, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by drewsfamilytx

Wow, very cool hitching posts! A lot more interesting than the normal wooden ones from the old West.

Were these elaborate posts very common or only for the nobility/upper class?

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July 18, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by picluvinmom