
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda, sometimes Little Wild Goose Pagoda (), is one of two significant
pagodas in
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ning ...
, China, the site of the old
Han and
Tang capital
Chang'an
Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...
. The other notable pagoda is the
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, originally built in 652 and restored in 704. This pagoda, along with the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and other sites along the
Silk Road, was inscribed in 2014 on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
as the
Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor World Heritage Site.
History
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built between 707–709, during the Tang dynasty under
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (26 November 656 – 3 July 710), personal name Li Xian, and at other times Li Zhe or Wu Xian, was the fourth Emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710. During the first pe ...
(r 705–710). The pagoda stood 45 m (147 ft) until the
1556 Shaanxi earthquake
The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake (formerly romanized ''Shensi''), known in Chinese colloquially by its regnal year as "" ('' Jiājìng Dàdìzhèn'') or officially by its epicenter as "" ('' Huàxiàn Dìzhèn''), occurred in the early morning of 2 ...
. The earthquake shook the pagoda and damaged it so that it now stands at a height of 43 m (141 ft) with fifteen levels of tiers.
[Kiang, 12.] The pagoda has a brick frame built around a hollow interior, and its square base and shape reflect the building style of other pagodas from the era.
During the Tang Dynasty, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda stood across a street from its mother temple, the Dajianfu Temple. Pilgrims brought sacred
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
writings to the temple and pagoda from India, as the temple was one of the main centers in Chang'an for translating Buddhist texts.
The temple was older than the pagoda, since it was founded in 684, exactly 100 days after the death of
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang (21 July 628 – 27 December 683), personal name Li Zhi, was the third emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683; after January 665, he handed power over the empire to his second wife Empress Wu (the ...
(r. 649–683).
Emperor Zhongzong had donated his residence to the building of a new temple here, maintaining the temple for 200 monks in honor of his deceased father Gaozong.
The temple was originally called the Daxianfusi or Great Monastery of Offered Blessings by Zhongzong, until it was renamed Dajianfusi by Empress
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first List of ...
in 690.
2010 CHINE (4565613103).jpg
Little goose pagoda.jpg
2010 CHINE (4566277882).jpg
2010 CHINE (4566252536).jpg
2010 CHINE (4566273240).jpg
See also
*
Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture ( Chinese:中國建築) is the embodiment of an architectural style that has developed over millennia in China and it has influenced architecture throughout Eastern Asia. Since its emergence during the early ancient era, th ...
*
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
* ''
Great Tang Records on the Western Regions
The ''Great Tang Records on the Western Regions'' is a narrative of Xuanzang's nineteen-year journey from Chang'an in central China to the Western Regions of Chinese historiography. The Buddhist scholar traveled through the Silk Road regions o ...
''
*
List of Buddhist temples
This is a list of Buddhist temples, monasteries, stupas, and pagodas for which there are Wikipedia articles, sorted by location.
Australia
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brazil
* Khadro Ling Buddhist Temple, Três Coroas, Rio Grande do S ...
*
Jianfu Temple
Notes
References
*Heng Chye Kiang. (1999). ''Cities of Aristocrats and Bureaucrats: The Development of Medieval Chinese Cityscapes''. Singapore: Singapore University Press. .
709
Buddhist temples in Shaanxi
Buddhist temples in Xi'an
Buildings and structures completed in the 8th century
Buildings and structures in Xi'an
Tourist attractions in Xi'an
Pagodas in China
Tang dynasty Buddhist temples
Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shaanxi
World Heritage Sites in China
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