The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda stands in the grounds of Da Ci'en Temple in southern Xi'an, a square brick tower of seven storeys that tapers as it rises. It was built in the Tang period to hold the sutras and relics that the monk Xuanzang brought back from India, and he worked on translating them here. The brickwork is plain and the form austere compared with the ornamented pagodas of later centuries, which is much of its interest. You can climb the internal wooden stairs for a view over the temple roofs and the surrounding blocks. The monastery around it is active, with incense, chanting and monks going about their day.

What you actually see

• The pagoda itself - seven storeys of plain Tang brickwork, climbable by a narrow internal stair.
• Da Ci'en Temple - the working monastery around the base, with halls, incense and chanting.
• The steles and reliefs - carved stone tablets recording the sutra journey and the pagoda's founding.
• The north square - the wide plaza below, with fountains that run to an evening timetable.

When to go

Spring and autumn. The temple opens early and is calmest in the first hour; by afternoon the north square fills with tour groups waiting for the fountain show. The pagoda climb needs a separate ticket and the stairwell gets congested at weekends. Winter is cold but quiet, and the brick looks better without summer haze.

Honest expectations

The climb is a series of steep, dark wooden stairs with a queue in both directions and a view that is mostly modern city. The temple sits inside a heavily commercialised district of malls, statues and a musical fountain, which drains the atmosphere considerably. Two separate tickets are needed, and incense smoke inside the halls is thick enough to sting.

Nearby

The Shaanxi History Museum, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and the city wall are all within a short ride.