The Xi’an Stele records the presence of Christianity in Tang-era China along Silk Road networks.
Also called the Nestorian Stele, it was erected in 781 in the Tang capital of Chang’an, now Xi’an. Its Chinese and Syriac inscriptions describe the arrival and activities of the Church of the East in China, whose followers were then associated with the religion’s “Luminous” teaching.
The text states that a missionary named Alopen arrived at the Tang court in 635 during Emperor Taizong’s reign. It describes imperial permission for the religion and lists churches established in China. The monument therefore provides unusually direct evidence for religious exchange carried by long-distance routes.
The stele does not prove that Christianity was the dominant faith in Tang China. Buddhism, Daoism, and traditional practices remained far more influential. Its importance is that it documents a recognized Christian community and official tolerance at a specific historical moment.