Sutras in the Brick: The Shadow of the Great Wild Goose Pagoda

Morning sun catches the warm, earthy brick and throws a long shadow across the pine gardens of Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺, Dà Cí'ēnsì). The Great Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔, Dàyàn Tǎ) stands sixty-four meters above Xi'an's southern suburbs — seven square tiers tapering upward, built from plain clay brick with no glazed tiles, no decorative flourishes. It looks solid. Blunt, even. The Tang Dynasty wasn't interested in prettiness here. They wanted something that would last.

It was completed in 652 CE under the direction of Xuanzang (玄奘), the Buddhist monk who had spent seventeen years walking to India and back. Across the deserts of Xinjiang, over the high passes of the Pamir Mountains — he returned with Sanskrit scriptures, gold-leaf statues, and relics, and this pagoda was built to house them. Behind these thick walls, Xuanzang spent the rest of his life translating those texts into classical Chinese. His journey later became the basis for Journey to the West (西游记), which means a seventh-century monk's luggage problem eventually gave China one of its greatest novels.

Inside, you climb a steep narrow wooden staircase to the upper levels. The arched windows frame the city in slices. The walls are thick — built to handle earthquakes, including the catastrophic 1556 Shaanxi quake that cracked the top tiers but couldn't bring the structure down. From the seventh tier you look out over the symmetrical temple courtyards, the park gardens, and the pedestrian avenues of the modern district spreading south.

The temple grounds are worth the time on their own. Stone lanterns sit under native maples and peony bushes. Monks chant in the main prayer hall — you can hear it faintly from the garden paths, mixed with birdsong and the occasional click of a tourist's camera shutter.

Practical Beats

• Getting There: Take Metro Line 3 or Line 4 directly to the Dayanta (Great Wild Goose Pagoda) Station (大雁塔站). Take Exit C or Exit D to enter the massive park complex.
• Admission: Entry to the Da Ci'en Temple grounds costs 40 RMB per adult. If you wish to climb the Great Wild Goose Pagoda itself, an additional ticket of 25 RMB must be purchased at the small ticket booth inside the temple courtyard.
• Opening Hours: The temple grounds and pagoda are open daily from 08:00 to 17:30 (ticket sales stop at 17:00).
• The Fountain Show: The massive North Square features the largest musical fountain show in Asia. While popular, it can be extremely crowded. If you prefer a quieter visit, stick to the temple's eastern pine gardens and the South Square near the monumental bronze statue of Xuanzang.