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Xi'an Attractions
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Xi an Big Wild Goose Pagoda
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Situated in the Da Ci'en Temple, about four kilometres from the urban center, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (also called the Da Ci'en Temple Pagoda) is one of the famous Buddhist pagodas in China.
Originally built in 589A. D. in the Sui Dynasty, the temple was named Wu Lou Si Temple. It was not until 648 A. D. , when Emperor Li Zhi, then still a crown prince, sponsored a repair pro- ject on the temple. This was a symbol of thanksgiving to his mother for her kindness, after she had suffered an early death. The temple then assumed the present name Da Ci'en Si (Temple of Thanksgiv- ing). The Emperor was said to pay homage to the temple twice a day (in the morning and at dusk) by looking in its direction from the Hanyuan Palace. The temple, with 13 separate courtyards,contained 1, 879 magnificent looking rooms altogether and was a place of grand extent in the Tang Dynasty. However, it went into gradual decay after the Tang Dynasty. The halls and rooms that have survived the ages are structures that built in the Ming Dy- nasty.
The Tang Regime gave orders to build a chamber for the trans- lation of Buddhist scriptures in an effort to have the then widely renowned Master Xuan Zang (Monk Tripitaka) agree to be the head of the temple.
Xuan Zang was both a great translator and traveller. At the age of 28 in 627 A. D. , he went alone to India to study Buddhist scriptures. He stayed there for 17 years, doing research into Bud- dhism in various places. He returned to Chang'an in 645 A. D. with 657 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, travelling 50,000 kilome- tres and suffering many hardships. His Travels in the Western Re- gions was based on what he had witnessed in the 128 countries and regions that he visited. He recorded their geographic locations and customs. This work has become an important 'reference for the studies of the history and geograghy of these regions. A famous novelist in the Ming Dynasty even wrote a novel which was set a- gainst the story of Xuan Zang's western journey for the Buddhist scriptures. The book became one of the four most famous novels in the history of Chinese literature. Xuan Zang also translated one of the Chinese classics Lao Zi into Sanskrit to be introduced into India. He was indeed a great contributor to the Buddhist cultural ex- changes between India and China in ancient times.
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On the day Xuan Zang moved into the temple, the Imperial Court held a ceremony of unprecedented grandeur for him. The procession consisted of 1,500 decorated chariots. On the same day, all the monks from the capital, holding bunches of flowers and in- cense burners in their hands, followed the procession while reciting passages from Buddhist scriptures. Escorting the master were civil and military officials and the Emperor's squad of bodyguards from the Court. Even the Emperor himself brought the whole royal fami- ly to the city gate tower. They burnt incense sticks |
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and watched re- spectfully from there. Later the Emperor selected hundreds of renowned scholars and Buddhist monks to help Xuan Zang in his endeavor to translate the Buddhist scriptures that he had brought back.
Xuan Zang stayed in the temple for 12 years and translated 1, 335 volumes of Buddhist scriptures. In praise of the Master's dedi- cation to Buddhism, Emperor Tai Zong wrote An Introduction to the Sacred Teachings of Monk Tripitaka of the Great Tang Dynasty, followed by Crown Prince Li Zhi's Notes on 'An Introduction to the Sacred Teachings of Monk Tripitaka of the Great Tang Dynasty. Chu Suiliang, a famous calligraphist of the Tang Dynastycarved inscriptions on two stone tablets that still can be seen at the base, on either side of the pagoda.
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In 652 A.D. Xuan Zang made a proposal to the court for a pagoda to be built inside the temple, to store the scriptures and statues he had brought back from India. The Emperor not only readily agreed, but also raised funds by the sale of things left behind by deseased court maids. Xuan Zang was so pleased that he took part in the manual labour. He also designed the pagoda. The two fierce- looking stone lions before the front gate of the temple stand there as if they were two sentinels guarding the place.
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The pagoda was finished in 652 A. D.. Its five storeys are 60 metres in height. The decay of the earth-cored pagoda caused the new construction of a 10-storey pagoda from 701 to 704. However, the winds of war, in the years to come, reduced the pagoda almost to ruins, which in turn resulted in the construction of a 7-storeyed, 64-metre-high structure which we see today.
The storeyed pagoda was an architectural marvel. It was built with layers of bricks but without any cement in between. The Dou Gong (bracket) style in traditional Chinese architecture was also used in the construction of the pagoda. The seams between each layer of bricks and the "prisms" on each side of the pagoda are clearly vislble. The grand body of the pagoda with its solemn ap- pearance, simple style and high structure, is indeed a good example of ancient people's wisdom and talent.
Pictures of the Heavenly King and of the Buddha are on the door frames and horizontal bars on four sides of the pagoda's base. These stone sculptures display peak workmanship, and show vivid shapes and smooth lines. They now serve as an important source of material for the study of painting and sculpture of the Tang Dy- nasty. Out of these artistic works, the one on the horizontal bar of the west door is the most precious. It is a rare piece of art, now used for the study of the Tang architecture.
On the day Xuan Zang moved into the temple, the Imperial Court held a ceremony of unprecedented grandeur for him. The procession consisted of 1,500 decorated chariots. On the same day, all the monks from the capital, holding bunches of flowers and in- cense burners in their hands, followed the procession while reciting passages from Buddhist scriptures. Escorting the master were civil and military officials and the Emperor's squad of bodyguards from the Court. Even the Emperor himself brought the whole royal fami- ly to the city |
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In the Tang Dynasty, every successful candidate who passed the imperial examinations would have to climb up the Big Wild 0oose Pagoda wrote poems and inscriptions there. This ritual would symbolize a soaring career in the future. The famous poet Bai Juyi wrote: "Here under the Ci'en Pagoda I inscribe my name as the youngest among the seventeen candidates", revealing his pride and happiness when he became successful at a very young age. The fashion of writing poems and leaving inscriptions on the horizontal bars over different doors and stone frame-works by the successful candidates of the imperial examinations went on as far as the Ming Dynasty. These poems and inscriptions have survived till this day as a fine mirror to the city's past. Now let us do what those successful candidates did .. climb the pagoda and enjoy the sight of the old capi- tal. However, the pity is that we cannot inscribe our names and our poems on the pagoda as those successful people did long ago!
Xi’an Package Tours With Hotels
XPPTWH-1:Xian 2 Days Tour of Terracotta Warriors With Hotels
XPPTWH-2:Xian 3 Days Typical Tour of Terracotta Warriors With Hotels
XPPTWH-3:Xian 4 Days Classic Tour of Terracotta Warriors With Hotels
XPPTWH-4:Xian 4 Days Depth Tour of Terracotta Warriors With Hotels
Xi’an Package Tours Without Hotels
XPPTEH-1:Xian 2 Days Tour of Terracotta Warriors
XPPTEH-2:Xian 3 Days Tour of Terracotta Warriors
XPPTEH-3:Xian 4 Days Tour of Terracotta Warrior, Empress Mausoleum
Xi’an Private One Day Tours
XPOT-1: Xian Terracotta Warriors and City Wall Private One Day Tour
XPOT-2: Xian Private One Day City Tour
XPOT-3: Xian Terracotta Warrior and Huaqing Hot Spring Private One Day Tour
XPOT-4: Xian Qianling Mausoleum and Famen Temple PrivateOne Day Tour
XPOT-5 :Xian Mt.HuashanPrivate One Day Tour
XPOT-6: Xian one day tour from Beijing by air
XPOT-7: Xian one day tour from Beijing by train
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