Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Situated in the Da Ci'en Temple, about four kilometers from the urban center, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of
the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. The Pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty to collect Buddhist
scriptures.

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 downfall of the Tang Dynasty. The
halls and rooms that have survived the ages are structures that were built in the Ming Dynasty. The Tang Regime
gave orders to build a chamber for the translation of Buddhist scriptures in an effort to have the then widely renowned
Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka) agree to be the head of the temple.

The storied pagoda was an architectural marvel. It was built with layers of bricks but without any cement in between.
The bracket style in traditional Chinese architecture was also used in the construction. The seams between each
layer of bricks and the "prisms' on each side of the pagoda are clearly visible. The grand body of the pagoda with its
solemn appearance, simple style and high structure, is indeed a good example of ancient people's wisdom and
talent.

Pictures of the Heavenly King and of Buddha are on the doorframe sand 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 dynasty. 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.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was an architectural mighty works. It was firstly a five-story building with a height
of 60 meters, but later to follow the traditional saying that saving a life exceeds building a seven-storied
pagoda, the pagoda had add to 64.5 meters high with two more stories. Seen afar, it seems like a square
cone, simple but grand. It is a firm construction without any cement in between of bricklayers. It is a kind of
traditional bracket style; the seams between each layer of bricks and the prisms on each side of the pagoda
are clearly to see.