CHANGSHA, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A museum on rock inscriptions and rubbings opened Monday in the city of Yongzhou, central China's Hunan Province.

The 1,300 square-meter museum holds a collection of more than 1,000 rock inscriptions and rubbings.

Yongzhou has a rich tradition of rock inscriptions dating back 2,000 years, with nearly 2,000 found in the city so far.

"Rock inscriptions have very high historical and research value, and the poems and calligraphy on the inscriptions are important educational resources, which can help young people know more about our country's traditional culture," said Zhang Jinghua, a rock inscription expert and professor with Hunan University of Science and Engineering.

Rock inscription was the practice of carving a poem or article on a rock or cliff by ancient scholars and literates. Inscription rubbing is the practice of creating an image on paper based on stone inscriptions and the words and patterns on the inscriptions.