【Location】Inside the Temple of Great Maternal Grace, Xi'an City
【Type】 World Heritage Site, Ancient Architecture
【Rank】 ★★★★★
【Completion date】 in 625
【Recommended Time for a visit】 2--3 hours
【Opening Hours】: 8:00-17:30

The Big Goose Pagoda is regarded by many as a symbol of the city. Built in AD 652, the pagoda has a 5m-high square base and reaches 64.5m in height. It was built to house and protect Buddhist scriptures collected by Chinese monk, Xuan Zang, who spent an epic 17 years traveling to India and back for their collection and an equal amount of time doing translating them. His journey has been immortalized in the novel Journey To the West, one if China's most important literature works.

In 652 A.D. Xuan Zang made a proposal to the court for a pagoda to be constructed inside the temple, to put the scriptures and statues he had brought back from India. The Emperor happily agreed, and also collected the funds foor the building. Xuan Zang was so happy that he took part in the manual labour in the construction of the pagoda. He also took part in the design of the pagoda.Xuan Zang was a great translator as well as a famous traveller. At the age of 28 in 627 A.D., he travelled alone to India for the learning and studying of Buddhist scriptures. He stayed there for 17 years in India. There he did research into Buddhism in various places. He returned to Chang'an in 645 A. D. with 657 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, totally travelling 50,000 kilometres and suffering much hardships. He recorded his Buddhist travel. Now this work has become an important record for the studies of the history and geograghy of the regions he had travelled.

Xuan Zang also translated some of the Chinese classics Lao Zi into Sanskrit to be introduced into India. He had made great contribution to the Buddhist cultural exchanges between India and China in ancient times.

Unfortunately it was damaged during World War II and reduced to seven storeys, which is as it remains today. The Big Goose Pagoda is situated in the Da Ci'en Temple, four kilometers south away from the center of the city. It is one of the city's most distinctive and outstanding landmarks, possibly the most beautiful building left in Xi'an today.

★ How to get there

By Bus:
Take bus nos.5, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 34, 41, 44, 224, 237, 242, 400, 401, 408, 500, 501, 521, 526, 527, 601, 606, 609, 701, 715, Tourist Bus Line 4 , Line 6, Line 8 (610), Line 9 (320) and get off at The Big Goose Pagoda (Da Yan Ta).

By Subway:
Take Subway Line 2 to Xiaozhai Station (Exit C) and walk eastward for 10 minutes.

By Taxi:
It costs about CNY 23 from the Xian Railway Station to The Big Goose Pagoda.