Giant Wild Goose Pagoda ​- the largest and oldest standing brick pavilion/pagoda

Last Update: 9th October 2020


What is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda?
Located in Daci’en Temple, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was originally built in 652. The 7-storeyed pagoda is 64.5 meters tall. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is a masterpiece of Buddhist Architectural Art in the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) of China.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Fast Facts
  • Chinese Name: Dayanta (大雁塔)
  • Area: 64.5 meters
  • Things to do there: Photography, Buddhist Study
  • Who visits: Photographers, Buddhists
  • Time required: 1 – 2 x hours
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Interested in visiting the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda during a Xian Tour?

Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.

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What to expect at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
In 652, Monk Xuanzang hosted the construction of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda to preserve the Buddha inscriptions brought back to Chang’an (the former name for Xi’an) through the Silk Road. The original pagoda featured 5 floors. Later it was later built to nine floors, and then the number of layers and heights were changed several times. The pagoda was finally fixed to the seven-story tower that we see today, with a height of 64.5 meters and a base length of 25.5 meters.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is composed of three parts: the base, the main body and the decoration on the top. There are stone gates on the base of the pagoda.

 

There are beautiful lined Buddha statues and brick carving couplets on the frame of the gates. In one room on the second floor, a bronze Buddha statue of Buddha Sakyamuni is enshrined. It is a valuable cultural relic in the early Ming Dynasty. In the middle of the three-story, a wooden seat is placed.

 

There is precious Buddha Relic and a model of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda on the seat. Palm-leaf Manuscripts with a length of about 40 cm and a width of about 7 cm is worshipped in the fourth floor. A series of steles for the footprint of Buddha Sakyamuni is on display on the fifth floor. Visitors can appreciate the works of the five poets in the Tang Dynasty on the sixth floor. In addition, visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of Xi’an City on the seventh floor.

 

Best time to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

The best time to visit Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is in the morning as it is not hot. The best months are from March to May, and from September to October.

 

How to get to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is situated in downtown Xi’an. Therefore, there are some options.

  • Rent a vehicle to Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. This is the quickest and most direct option.
  • Take Bus 5, 21, 22, 23, 27, 30, 41, 224, 320, 401, 500, 501, 527, 601, 606, 609 and 71 to the Stop of Dayanta (大雁塔站).
Additional Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Travel Advice
  • Opening hours: 08:00 – 17:30 (March 16 – November 4); 08:00 – 17:00 (November 15 – March 15)
  • As at 9th October 2020, as the pagoda is in Daci’en Temple, visitors need to get the ticket to the temple first. Entrance pricing to the temple is 50 CNY per person; entrance pricing to Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is 30 CNY per person. Children under 1.2m (1.2m not included) and the elder above 65 years old (65 years old included) are free of charge.
  • The pagoda offers the charged English and Chinese interpretation service.

Interested in visiting the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda during a Xian Tour?

Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.