Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

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Type
  
Cultural

Reference
  
1442

Architectural style
  
Chinese architecture

Phone
  
+86 29 8552 7958

Architect
  
Xuanzang

Criteria
  
ii, iii, iv, vi

UNESCO region
  
Asia-Pacific

Province
  
Shaanxi

UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription
  
2014

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Location
  
Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China

Address
  
Yanta W Rd, XiaoZhai ShangYeJie, Yanta Qu, Xian Shi, China, 710000

Similar
  
Terracotta Army, Fortifications of Xi'an, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Bell Tower of Xi'an, Huaqing Pool

Giant wild goose pagoda xian china travel channel


Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Chinese: 大雁塔; pinyin: Dàyàn tǎ), is a Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China. It was built in 652 during the Tang dynasty and originally had five stories. The structure was rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, and its exterior brick facade was renovated during the Ming dynasty. One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang.

Contents

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Surroundings and history

The original pagoda was built during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (r. 649–683), then standing at a height of 54 m (177 ft). However, 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; however, a massive earthquake in 1556 heavily damaged the pagoda and reduced it by three stories, to its current height of seven stories. The entire 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). 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 m (210 ft) tall and from the top it offers views over the current city of Xi'an. The tower can be accessed from line 1 of the Xi'an Metro.

References

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Wikipedia