Xi'an - Pagoda of the Great Wild Goose

In company with that of the Small Wild Goose, the Pagoda of the Great Wild Goose is the second religious building to survive from the Tang period (618-907). It formed part of the Temple of Great Mercy and Goodness (Ci'en Si), built by Prince Li Zhi in the first half of the 7th C in honor of his mother. Originally the complex was much larger than the present-day one dating from the 16th C, and it offered accommodation to 300 monks. Three Buddha figures can be seen in the main hall.

The Gaozong Emperor Li Zhi built the Pagoda in 652 in order to house more than 650 Buddhist writings which the monk Xuanzang had brought from India and later partially translated. Originally there were only five stories, but five more were added between 701 and 704. Later three stories were destroyed during hostile attacks, so today the pagoda has only seven floors and is 64m/210ft tall. It is constructed in rectangular sections which taper towards the top. Two stone plaques are let into the wall on either side of the entrance; these bear inscriptions by the Tang Emperors Taizong and Gaozong.