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The Nestorian Stele of Xi'an in 1907, a short time before it was moved from this outdoor location to the Stele Forest (Beilin) Museum. The Nestorian Stele (also known as the Nestorian Stone, Nestorian Monument or Nestorian Tablet) is a Tang Chinese stele erected in 781 that documents 150 years of history of early Christianity in China. It is a 279-cm tall limestone block with text in both Chinese and Syriac, describing the existence of Christian communities in several cities in northern China. It reveals that the church had initially received recognition by the Tang Emperor Taizong, due to efforts of the Christian missionary Alopen in 635. Buried in 845, probably during religious suppression, the stele was not rediscovered until 1625.
The Yu Ji Tu or 'Map of the Tracks of Yu', carved into stone in 1137, is located in the Stele Forest of Beilin Museum at Xi'an.<br/><br/> The 3 ft (0.91 m) squared map features a grid of 100 li squares. China's coastline and river systems are clearly defined and precisely pinpointed on the map. 'Yu' refers to Yu Gong (Yu the Great), a Chinese deity described in the geographical chapter of the Classic of History, dated 5th century BCE.