# Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi’an > The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta) is a seven-storey brick pagoda from 652, standing in Da Ci'en Temple about 5 km south of central Xi’an. Temple entry is around ¥10 and the climb about ¥25 more (unofficial; some guides quote higher). It's open daily from about 8:30 to 17:30–18:00. Allow 60–90 minutes; the fountain show outside is free. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/xian/giant-wild-goose-pagoda - City: [Xi’an](https://yesgo.io/china/xian), China - YesGo score: 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - Entry: ≈ ¥10; pagoda climb ≈ ¥25 extra - With kids: Fine with kids - Temple ticket: About ¥10, students about ¥5; some guides say ¥40–50 - Pagoda climb: About ¥25 on top of the temple ticket, sold at the foot of the pagoda; some guides say ¥30 - Free entry: Children under 6 or below 1.2 m, visitors over 65 - Hours: Daily about 8:30–17:30 in winter, 8:30–18:00 in summer; last tickets 16:30–17:00 - Closed: No weekly closing day - Fountain show: North Square, free: 12:00, 16:00, 19:00, 21:00; evening shows only on Tuesdays - Booking: Real-name tickets with your passport: gate ticket office or the “大慈恩寺” WeChat mini program - Metro: Lines 3 and 4, Dayanta station (大雁塔), Exit B or C - Address: 3 Guangchang East Road, Yanta District (大雁塔街道广场东路3号) - Time needed: An hour for the temple, 30 minutes for the climb, plus the evening fountain - Dress: Shoulders and knees covered — it's a working temple - Coordinates: 34.21977, 108.95934 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **652** — the pagoda was built to hold the sutras and relics the monk Xuanzang brought back from India (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; TravelChinaGuide) - **≈ 64 m** — height of the seven-storey pagoda; sources range from 63 to 64.5 m (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; TravelChinaGuide) - **2014** — inscribed by UNESCO as part of the Silk Roads: Chang'an–Tianshan Corridor (source: English Wikipedia (two articles)) - **648** — Da Ci'en Temple founded by Crown Prince Li Zhi, the future Emperor Gaozong, in memory of his mother (source: English Wikipedia; TravelChinaGuide) - **5 → 7** — the first pagoda had five storeys; it was rebuilt taller under Empress Wu and now has seven (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; TravelChinaGuide) - **Xuanzang** — the temple's first abbot, who translated his Indian sutras here (source: English Wikipedia; TravelChinaGuide) - **≈ 1 m** — how far the top had leaned by 1996; groundwater measures have since let it slowly straighten (source: English Wikipedia; TravelChinaGuide) - **1604** — Ming builders wrapped the Tang tower in an extra brick layer about 60 cm thick (source: English Wikipedia) - **≈ 4.8 km** — in a straight line from the pagoda to the Bell Tower in central Xi’an (source: Wikipedia coordinates) ## Giant Wild Goose Pagoda tickets: temple and climb You need **two tickets** to go up. The first gets you into **Da Ci'en Temple**, where the pagoda stands; the second, bought inside at the foot of the pagoda, lets you climb it — and is only sold to people who already hold a temple ticket. Tickets are issued in your name, so bring your **passport**. Buy at the gate ticket office or in the “大慈恩寺” WeChat mini program. Prices are the shakiest fact here. TravelChinaGuide (July 2026) and China For Travelers (August 2026) list **¥10** for the temple and **¥25** for the climb, and the latter says entry was cut from ¥40 to ¥10 in September 2025; a Ctrip-group booking site also sells it for about ¥10. Other current guides and China Daily still quote ¥50 and ¥30. We found no official price list, so treat both as unofficial. Children under 6 or under 1.2 m and visitors over 65 go free, according to TravelChinaGuide and China For Travelers, and students get a discount. Bring the original ID. > **Paying at the gate** Wander in China reports that the ticket office takes cash, Alipay, WeChat Pay and international cards, but card machines in China are hit and miss. The safe option for foreign visitors is **Alipay or WeChat Pay with a linked Visa or Mastercard**, set up before you fly, plus a few small yuan notes. QR payments need mobile data. ## Opening hours The temple is open **every day**. Exact times depend on season and source: TravelChinaGuide gives 8:30–18:00 from 1 March to 14 October and 8:30–17:40 from 15 October to the end of February, with ticket sales stopping an hour before closing. Ctrip shows 8:30–17:30 with last entry at 16:30, and some guides give an 8:00 start. In practice, **arrive by 16:00** if you want to climb — the climb ticket desk reportedly closes before the temple does. Mornings before 10:00 are quietest; during Chinese holidays and Golden Weeks tickets can sell out days ahead. The squares around the pagoda are open around the clock, and the tower is floodlit at night, so you can see it from outside long after the temple shuts. ## Fountain show times The musical fountain on the **North Square** is free and needs no temple ticket. Travel of China, China For Travelers and NetEase list shows at **12:00, 16:00, 19:00 and 21:00**. Two of those guides say the midday and afternoon shows are dropped on **Tuesdays**, leaving only 19:00 and 21:00. Run times are given as anything from 10 to 30 minutes. Wander in China adds extra weekend shows and a winter break from December to February; no other source we read confirms either, so check locally. Rain or strong wind can cancel a show. Our pick is the **21:00 show**: the pagoda is lit up behind the jets. Get to the edge of the pool 15 minutes early, then walk past the pagoda to the lights of Datang Everbright City. ## How to get to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 1. From the Bell Tower, go down into **Zhonglou** station (钟楼) and take **Line 2** south. 2. Ride four stops — Yongningmen, Nanshaomen, Tiyuchang and **Xiaozhai** (小寨) — and change to **Line 3** towards Dayanta. 3. Get off after one stop at **Dayanta** (大雁塔), which is also on Line 4. Allow about 15 minutes on the metro including the change. 4. Leave by **Exit B or C** for the North Square and the fountain. For the temple, walk around the pagoda to the **South Square** and its main gate — 10–13 minutes on foot. 5. From Xianyang Airport (XIY): **Line 14** to Xi’an North Railway Station (北客站), then **Line 4** straight to Dayanta — about 40 minutes from the station, according to Wander in China. 6. By taxi or DiDi, ask for 大雁塔南广场 (South Square) if you're heading straight into the temple. DiDi runs in English inside Alipay and charges your linked foreign card. ## Is it worth visiting? Yes. The **Giant Wild Goose Pagoda** is the best-known Tang building still standing in Xi’an, and the area around it — the temple, the Xuanzang statue, the fountain and [Datang Everbright City](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/datang-everbright-city) just south — makes for the city's best evening out. It's an easy metro ride from the centre. The temple itself is compact and largely rebuilt, so don't expect a vast complex. Allow **about an hour** for the halls and courtyards, and 30 minutes more for the climb. The climb is optional: narrow stairs and small windows give a decent but not sweeping view. If you're short of time, see the pagoda from the squares for free and give the time to the [Shaanxi History Museum](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/shaanxi-history-museum) instead. ## What the pagoda is The pagoda, known in Chinese as **Dayanta** (大雁塔), is a square brick tower about 64 m tall. It went up in **652**, when Xi’an, then called Chang'an, was the Tang capital, to store the sutras and relics that the monk **Xuanzang** carried back from India — the journey later fictionalised in *Journey to the West*. It belongs to **Da Ci'en Temple** (大慈恩寺, the Temple of Great Maternal Grace), founded in 648 by Crown Prince Li Zhi in memory of his mother. Xuanzang became its first abbot and spent years translating here. The temple is still active, with monks, services and incense in the courtyards. ## What to see at Da Ci'en Temple - **Xuanzang statue** on the South Square — the monk with his staff in front of the main gate, and the classic photo spot for the pagoda. - **Gate, Bell Tower and Drum Tower** — the traditional start of the temple's axis. - **Mahavira Hall (大雄宝殿)** — the Buddhas of the three ages, with incense burners and worshippers outside. - **The climb** — narrow internal stairs and arched windows on each side: Datang Everbright City to the south, the North Square and the city to the north. One guide says the top floors are sometimes shut for repairs. - **Xuanzang Hall** — at the back of the temple, on his journey to India and his translations. - **Stone steles** by the pagoda's entrance — Tang-era inscriptions honouring the sutra translations. - **North Square** — the fountain, Tang-themed sculpture and a full view of the pagoda. > **Dress code and etiquette** There's no formal dress code, but this is a working temple: cover shoulders and knees. Keep your voice down, don't touch the statues, and step over the high thresholds rather than on them. Burn incense at the courtyard burners, never inside the halls. Watch for no-photo signs at the altars, and don't photograph monks without asking. ## A short history In 648 Crown Prince Li Zhi founded Da Ci'en Temple for his late mother, Empress Zhangsun, and invited **Xuanzang**, just back from his long journey to India. Under him the temple became one of the three great sutra-translation centres of the Tang. The first pagoda, built in 652 under Xuanzang's supervision, had five storeys of brick over an earth core. **Empress Wu Zetian** had it rebuilt taller; later the damaged upper storeys were removed, leaving the seven we see today. In 1604 Ming builders wrapped it in a new brick skin, and the temple was rebuilt on a smaller scale than the Tang original. By 1996 the top had tilted about a metre. Measures to control groundwater stopped the lean, and the tower has been edging back ever since. In 2014 it joined the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Silk Roads. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Original passport with me — tickets are in my name - [ ] Arriving by 16:00 so I can still climb - [ ] Alipay with a linked foreign card, or small yuan notes - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered - [ ] Not a Tuesday — or I'm going to the evening fountain - [ ] 大雁塔 and 大慈恩寺 saved to show a taxi driver ## Xi’an’s temples compared Every temple and shrine in Xi’an rated by YesGo. - [Great Mosque of Xi’an](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/xian-great-mosque) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥25, ¥15 in winter; Muslims free - [Giant Wild Goose Pagoda](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/giant-wild-goose-pagoda) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥10; pagoda climb ≈ ¥25 extra - [Small Wild Goose Pagoda](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/small-wild-goose-pagoda) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, advance booking with passport - [Mount Hua](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/mount-hua) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥160; cable cars ¥80–140 extra ## Southern Xi’an in a day: two pagodas, a museum and a lit-up evening Small Wild Goose Pagoda and the Shaanxi History Museum in the morning, Da Ci'en Temple and the climb in the afternoon, the fountain and Datang Everbright City at night. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Small Wild Goose Pagoda](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/small-wild-goose-pagoda) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, advance booking with passport 2. [Shaanxi History Museum](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/shaanxi-history-museum) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free with booking; Tang murals extra 3. [Giant Wild Goose Pagoda](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/giant-wild-goose-pagoda) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥10; pagoda climb ≈ ¥25 extra 4. [Datang Everbright City](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/datang-everbright-city) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free > **The best order: temple by day, fountain at night** Arrive around 15:00–16:00: an hour for the temple and the climb, then photos of the pagoda and the Xuanzang statue in the late light. Have dinner on Datang Everbright City and be back on the North Square for the 21:00 fountain. You'll see the pagoda both by day and lit up without coming back. ## Good to know Xi’an has two wild goose pagodas. This one, the Giant (or Big) Wild Goose Pagoda, stands in Da Ci'en Temple in the south of the city. The [Small Wild Goose Pagoda](https://yesgo.io/china/xian/small-wild-goose-pagoda) is a different, later Tang pagoda in Jianfu Temple, closer to the city wall — a separate visit, and one ticket doesn't cover the other. ## Tips - Bring your original passport — temple tickets are issued in your name. - The climb ticket is sold inside, at the foot of the pagoda; don't hunt for it online. - The metro brings you out on the North Square, but the temple gate is on the South Square — allow 10–13 minutes' walk. - No daytime fountain on Tuesdays — come at 19:00 or 21:00. - The classic photo is from the South Square, with the Xuanzang statue in front. - After the temple, walk south onto Datang Everbright City, which starts right behind the square. - Keep 大雁塔 on your phone — few taxi drivers speak English. ## Questions ### How much are Giant Wild Goose Pagoda tickets? Recent guides list about ¥10 for the temple and about ¥25 to climb; some still quote ¥50 and ¥30. We found no official price list. ### Can you climb the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda? Yes, with a separate climb ticket bought at the foot of the pagoda on top of your temple ticket. Inside are narrow stairs and windows on every side. ### What time is the fountain show? Guides list 12:00, 16:00, 19:00 and 21:00 on the North Square, free. On Tuesdays only the evening shows run. ### What are the opening hours? Daily, roughly 8:30–17:30 in winter and 8:30–18:00 from March to mid-October; ticket sales stop an hour before closing (unofficial). ### How do I get to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda by metro? Line 3 or Line 4 to Dayanta station, Exit B or C. From the Bell Tower, take Line 2 to Xiaozhai and change to Line 3 for one stop. ### Is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda worth it? Yes — it's Xi’an's best-known Tang building, and with the fountain and Datang Everbright City it makes the city's best evening. The climb itself is optional. ### How long do you need? About an hour for the temple, 30 minutes more for the climb. Add the evening fountain and a walk down Datang Everbright City for a full evening. ### Do I need my passport? Yes. Tickets are real-name, so foreign visitors buy them with a passport and should carry the original. ### What's the difference between the Giant and Small Wild Goose Pagodas? The Giant one (652) stands in Da Ci'en Temple in the south of the city. The Small one is in Jianfu Temple nearer the wall — a separate sight. ## How we checked We found no official website or price list for Da Ci'en Temple, and Ctrip pages block automated access (432), so prices, hours, concessions and fountain times are marked checking. Prices disagree: TravelChinaGuide (July 2026), China For Travelers (August 2026, which reports a cut from ¥40 to ¥10 on 1 September 2025) and a Wing On Travel listing (about HK$11) give ¥10 for the temple and ¥25 to climb; Wander in China, Travel of China and China Daily / China Bound give ¥50 and ¥30. We lead with the first, as the more recent and backed by a live booking, and show the second alongside. Hours vary (8:00 or 8:30 opening, 17:00–18:30 closing); we show TravelChinaGuide and Ctrip. Fountain: four shows from Travel of China, China For Travelers and NetEase; no daytime shows on Tuesdays from the first two; extra weekend shows and a winter break only from Wander in China. Heights range from 63.25 to 64.5 m, so we say about 64 m. Upper floors closed for repair comes only from China For Travelers, and the 1604 date only from English Wikipedia. Metro stations come from English Wikipedia, exits from guides, and the distance from Wikipedia coordinates. The English core comes from search results and related questions. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Giant Wild Goose Pagoda — 652, storeys, height, tilt, 1604, UNESCO, coordinates; Daci'en Temple — 648, Li Zhi, Xuanzang - English Wikipedia: Line 2 and Line 3 (Xi'an Metro) — station order and interchanges - Russian Wikipedia: Большая пагода диких гусей — 652, storeys, height - TravelChinaGuide, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Da Ci'en Temple (updated 22 Jul 2026): ¥10 and ¥25, seasonal hours, metro, concessions - China For Travelers, Big Wild Goose Pagoda (updated 24 Aug 2026): ¥10 since September 2025, ¥25 climb, fountain, metro - Wing On Travel (Ctrip group), Da Ci'en Temple listing: adult ticket ≈ HK$11, student ≈ HK$5 - Wander in China (2 Jun 2026), Travel of China (27 Jul 2026), China Daily / China Bound (7 May 2026): ¥50 and ¥30, fountain, address - Ctrip temple listing (seen in a search excerpt): 8:30–17:30, last entry 16:30; NetEase (163.com): four fountain shows a day - YesGo's China notes: paying with foreign cards, DiDi, real-name tickets --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.