Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

This guide to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an follows the monk Xuanzang, who slipped past imperial checkpoints by night in 629 in defiance of a travel ban, convinced that the Buddhist scriptures circulating in China were mistranslated and incomplete. It traces his sixteen years on the road, through deserts and mountain passes to the university at Nalanda, and the emperor's surprising welcome when he finally walked back into the capital with manuscripts loaded on pack animals. You'll hear why Xuanzang had this pagoda built specifically to protect what he brought home, and how a tower meant to stand still ended up with a history of its own. Stand at its base and look straight up along the brickwork.