Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Yanta District, Shaanxi, China
Part of	Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iii), (v), (vi)
Reference	1442
Inscription	2014 (38th Session)
Coordinates	34°13′11″N 108°57′34″E / 34.219842°N 108.959354°E / 34.219842; 108.959354
Location of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in China

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda (

The original pagoda was built during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (r. 649–683), then standing at a height of 60 metres (200 ft).^[1] This construction of rammed earth with a stone exterior facade collapsed five decades later. The ruling Empress Wu Zetian had the pagoda rebuilt and added five new stories by the year 704.

A massive earthquake in 1556 heavily damaged the pagoda and reduced it by three stories, to its current height of seven stories.^[2]

The structure leans very perceptibly (several degrees) to the west. Its related structure, the 8th century Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, only suffered minor damage in the 1556 earthquake (unrepaired to this day).^[2] The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was extensively repaired during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and renovated again in 1964. The pagoda currently stands at a height of 64 metres (210 ft) tall and from the top it offers views over the city of Xi'an.

The tower sits inside the Daci'en Temple complex ("mercy and kindness"). The Daci'en Temple was built in 648 to honor the Empress Zhangsun. The temple complex is open to the public and it receives millions of tourists each year. It can be accessed from the Dayanta station of line 3 of the Xi'an Metro. One entrance is located at the northeast corner of the north plaza. A new entrance has opened during the end of 2017.

Gallery

• 
  Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an
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  Golden statue of Xuanzang. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an
• 
  Gold Pagoda inside Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an
• 
  Giant Wild Goose Pagoda by night
• 
  Statue of Xuanzang. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an.
• 
  Close-up view of the eaves and exterior bricks
• 
  Avalokiteshvara Hall
• 
  View from the park
• 
  Inside the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
• 
  View from the top, in 2014
• 
  Night view of South Square of Dayan Pagoda in2020
• 
  Side view, below

See also

• List of tallest structures built before the 20th century

References

• Benn, Charles (2002). China's Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Ingles, O.G. "Impressions of a Civil Engineer in China," The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs (Number 7, 1982): 141–150.
• Heng Chye Kiang. (1999). Cities of Aristocrats and Bureaucrats: The Development of Medieval Chinese Cityscapes. Singapore: Singapore University Press.
  ISBN 9971-69-223-6
  .
• Watson, William. (2000). The Arts of China to A.D. 900. New Haven: Yale University Press.
  ISBN 0-300-08284-3
  .