---
node: giant_wild_goose_pagoda
type: art
slug: giant_wild_goose_pagoda
title: "Giant Wild Goose Pagoda"
lead: "The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is the brick pagoda of the Daci'en Temple in Xi'an, first built in AD 652 to house the scriptures the monk Xuanzang brought back from India. It is one of the oldest surviving brick pagodas in China and a symbol of the city."
published: 2026-07-11
updated: 2026-07-11
image_file: giant_wild_goose_pagoda.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wild_goose_pagoda_xian_china.jpg"
image_author: "Tuxnduke"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

The pagoda belongs to the Daci'en Temple in Tang Chang'an, the modern Xi'an, and was first built in AD 652 under Emperor Gaozong so that the monk Xuanzang could house the sutras and relics he had carried back from India. Xuanzang himself directed the great translation work at the temple.

## Description

The original five-storey structure deteriorated and was rebuilt around 701 to 704, in the reign of Wu Zetian, as a seven-storey brick tower roughly 64 metres tall. Its simple, sturdy silhouette became a landmark of the Tang capital, and the tower leans slightly to the west.

## History and legacy

It is one of the oldest surviving brick pagodas in China and remains a symbol of Xi'an. In 2014 it was inscribed as part of the Silk Road UNESCO World Heritage listing.