The Small Wild Goose Pagoda

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda, also known as the Jianfu Temple Pagoda, is located within the Jianfu Temple in Anrenfang of Tang Chang'an (present-day Xi'an Museum on Youyi West Road in Beilin District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China). It is a representative work of the early dense-eave style pagodas in China and, along with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, serves as an important symbol of Tang Chang'an that has been preserved to this day. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit and one of the iconic buildings marking the introduction and integration of Buddhism into the Central Plains and Han Chinese culture. Originally a 15-tier dense-eave brick pagoda, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda has suffered damage from multiple earthquakes and undergone several restorations, now standing at 13 stories and 43.38 meters tall. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built during the Jinglong period of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (707-710) to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back by the eminent Tang monk Yijing. At the end of the Chenghua period of Emperor Xianzong of Ming (1487), a major earthquake in Shaanxi caused cracks in the pagoda. In the 23rd year of Chenghua (1487) and December of the 34th year of Jiajing (January 1556), earthquakes in Guanzhong led to the collapse of the pagoda's top and cracks in the body. In 1978, as a famous cultural relic and historic site in Xi'an, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda began to welcome visitors. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda consists of three parts: the base, the body, and the top. The base is a square platform with an underground palace beneath; the body is a single-walled hollow structure with a brick-built staircase inside for ascending the pagoda, with the first floor being 6.83 meters high and each subsequent floor decreasing in height. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda and the ancient bell in the bell tower of Jianfu Temple are collectively known as the 'Morning Bell of the Wild Goose Pagoda,' one of the 'Eight Sights of Guanzhong,' and also a part of the Xi'an Museum, classified as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. The Jianfu Temple, where the Small Wild Goose Pagoda is located, was one of the three major translation centers in Tang Chang'an, corroborating the history of Buddhism's eastward transmission from India and witnessing its popularity in Tang Chang'an.