Big Wild Goose Pagoda

UNESCO World Heritage Site Component (Silk Roads: The Routes Network Of Chang'An Tianshan Corridor, 2014) · Xi'an, Shaanxi

The great symbol of Tang-dynasty Chang'an: a square, seven-storey brick pagoda about 64 metres tall rising above the Temple of Great Maternal Grace (Da Ci'en Temple) in southern Xi'an. The temple was founded in 648 by the crown prince, the future Emperor Gaozong, in memory of his mother, and the pagoda was raised in 652 to house the Buddhist scriptures, relics and images that the monk Xuanzang had carried back from his 17-year journey to India - the pilgrimage later retold in the novel Journey to the West. Xuanzang ran a translation centre here, and the pagoda, rebuilt under Empress Wu Zetian, has stood through more than 1,300 years of earthquakes, now leaning slightly. It is part of the UNESCO Silk Roads World Heritage listing. Around it, a vast modern district recreates Tang splendour: the North Square holds one of Asia's largest musical fountains, a statue of Xuanzang stands in the South Square, and the Grand Tang Everbright City pedestrian avenue glows with lanterns, costumed performers and night markets after dark.

Da Ci'en Temple, Yanta South Road, Yanta District, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

Da Ci'en Temple about 8:00-17:30 (ticket sales end 16:30); pagoda climb about 8:30-17:00, capped at about 3,000 a day and reported closed Mondays except holidays. North Square fountain around 12:00 and 20:30, often suspended November-March. Squares open late.

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