Call a local advisor
+86 186 1196 4400Email our team
[email protected]Tour Beijing Journal
Big Wild Goose Pagoda ( also known as Giant Wild Goose Pagoda ) is located...
Big Wild Goose Pagoda ( also known as Giant Wild Goose Pagoda ) is located inside Daci'en Temple, a holy place in the vibrant and growing city of Xian. It is a good place to learn about the influence of China's Buddhism and culture.
It is an active Buddhist temple with monks chanting, working and living. Local Chinese visit the place to worship and burn joss sticks.
The temple and its surrounding area are full of life, people-watch. Its north square is home to the largest musical fountain in Asia; its south square leading to the Great Tang All Day Mall, a 1500-meter sightseeing avenue where you immersed in Tang Dynasty culture while enjoying shopping, dining, entertaining, sightseeing and business travel.
The temple and the pagoda itself takes 1 or 2 hours to visit while the whole area ( squares, gardens ,etc.) takes much longer time, providing people with wonderful free leisure and entertainment.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda and its surrounding whole area are just located about 9 km by road south of Bell Tower, the heart of the walled Xian city.
After your visit to Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and if time allows, you can walk to the nearby Shaanxi History Museum, about 15 minutes away. You can cover both of these attractions together in a half day tour.
Actually the pagoda is part of Daci'en Temple, which were both originally built in Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the temple precedes the pagoda.
When we are talking about Big Wild Goose Pagoda, we are in fact talking about the temple as a whole. If you want to see the pagoda at a close distance or even climb up to the top of the pagoda, you first need to enter the temple with its entrance facing the south.
It is okay to just have an outside look at the pagoda when you enter Daci'en Temple. A distant glimpse gives you a good angle to see the seven-story pagoda.
Paying 30 yuan and you are allowed to walk to the top of the Pagoda for a wonderful view of the city. The stairs are well organized with banisters.
If you are not interested in entering Daci'en Temple, you are also able to view the Pagoda while standing on the south square outside the temple, and the Pagoda is seen above the buildings in the temple, still a good photogenic spot.
The 50 yuan entry fee doesn't only allow to you to see the pagoda, it also gives you the chance to visit the beautiful gardens, valuable artifacts and magnificent buildings on the ground in the temple.
It is an active temple and many local Chinese visit the place to worship. The Buddhist Monks are chanting and working. Some of the halls displays the artifacts, telling how Buddhism was brought to China. All this gives you a feel for how life was here in the ancient time. English Signage is seen to guide you in a clear direction.
The north square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda ( North of Daci'en Temple ) has the largest music fountain in the world. It is better to come here in the evening when the whole place is lit up.
The construction of the huge cultural square features the Tang culture elements of Big Goose Pagoda and Daci'en Temple, combining the elements of the traditional and the modern.
The South Square of Big Goose Pagoda is also known as Xuanzhuang Square. Xuanzang (602 – 664) was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang dynasty.
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 for the building. Xuan Zang was so happy that he took part in the manual labor in the construction of the pagoda. He also took part in the design of the pagoda.
Visit the south square in the evening when the statue and the square are all lit up. Free entry.
South of the South Square of Big Goose Pagoda (Xuanzhuang Square) is Great Tang All Day Mall. The Great Tang All Day Mall is the key project to rejuvenate the great Tang Dynasty.
It is more than just a traditional mall, but a sightseeing traffic-free avenue along a 1500-meter axis from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda down to the south, linking three themed squares – Xuan Zhuang Square, Zhenuan Cultural Square and Kaiyuan Ceremony Square based the Tang Dynasty cultural backgrounds and elements.
They includes the buildings of Tang architectural style and sculptures devoted to great leaders, monks, artists, writers, poets, scientists and mathematicians of the Tang Dynasty.
Free entry and visit here in the evening when the place is illuminated.
Early in the morning you will see lots of activities like dancing, playing tai chi, etc. a nice taste of the local Xian. Come here in the evening when the whole area is illuminated.
This is a huge complex of squares, temple, parks, pedestrian streets and a lively souvenir market as well. It's all marvelously illuminated at night and full of local people, walking, dancing, etc. It has a fantastic atmosphere. Your kids definitely will like the fountain show which is truly spectacular.
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Xian guided tours:
Share a question or note for this guide. Comments are reviewed before publishing.
Hand-picked routes matched from this article's destination clues, tags, and categories.
Use these attraction notes to connect nearby sights with tours, destination guides, and planning articles.
Continue planning with practical Beijing guides selected from similar places, themes, and travel questions.
Subscribe to receive Beijing travel ideas and tour updates.
