Small Wild Goose Pagoda 小雁塔Xiǎoyàn Tǎ

Why go to Small Wild Goose Pagoda

South of the city wall, this 13-storey brick pagoda was built in 707–709 in the grounds of Jianfu Temple, and since 2014 it has been part of the Silk Roads World Heritage listing. It now stands in a park shared with the Xi'an Museum: look round the museum's galleries, then walk through what remains of the temple to the foot of the pagoda.

The story

An inscription carved in 1551 over the north doorway records that an earthquake in 1487 split the pagoda from top to bottom, leaving a gap about a foot wide that passers-by could see through, and that after another quake in 1521 it was whole again overnight, as if a god had joined it. The great earthquake of 1556 brought down its top two storeys, which is why 13 of the original 15 remain.

What to see at Small Wild Goose Pagoda

• Small Wild Goose Pagoda 小雁塔: A 13-storey brick pagoda of about 43 metres with tightly stacked eaves, built in 707–709. The 1556 earthquake took off its top two storeys; legend says earlier quakes split the tower and later ones closed the crack again.
• Jianfu Temple remains 荐福寺: The pagoda stood in the grounds of Jianfu Temple, founded in 684 and a centre for translating Buddhist texts brought from India. What remains of the temple now sits inside the museum park.
• Morning Bell of the Wild Goose Pagoda 雁塔晨钟: A bell of over three metres cast in 1192 and moved to the temple in the Kangxi era. Its morning ringing made it one of the traditional Eight Views of Guanzhong.
• Ancient Capital Xi'an exhibition 古都西安: The Xi'an Museum's main exhibition follows the city's long run as a capital and its life as a prefectural city. It gives the context for the pagoda and the Tang city it stood in.
• Buddhist statuary gallery 佛教造像艺术: One of the museum's themed displays, devoted to Buddhist sculpture, which fits the temple setting.

How to visit Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Start in the museum, where the main exhibition takes up the first hour or so, then walk back through the temple grounds to the pagoda and the bell. The museum sits on the same site as the pagoda, so you do not need to leave and re-enter. A shorter visit can skip the galleries and go straight to the pagoda; the full visit is half a day at a relaxed pace.

How to get to Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Take Metro Line 2 or 5 to Nanshaomen and walk about 10 minutes west to the museum's north gate on Youyi West Road; a taxi from the Bell Tower takes about 10–15 minutes.

Where to stay

Stay in the area just south of the city wall near Nanshaomen, where Metro Lines 2 and 5 meet, so the museum is a short walk and the walled city a few stops away.

What to eat

• Yangrou paomo 羊肉泡馍: Mutton or beef broth poured over crumbled flatbread, with noodles and slices of meat, said to date back to the Chongzhen years of the Ming; it is the dish Xi'an is best known for.
• Liangpi 凉皮: Chilled wheat or rice noodle sheets in a sour-spicy dressing, a Xi'an speciality sold at stalls and snack shops across the city.

Tips for visiting Small Wild Goose Pagoda

• Entry must be booked in advance through the museum's official WeChat account or website, which release tickets up to seven days ahead; bring the passport you booked with.
• The museum usually closes on Tuesdays except public holidays, though the Tuesday closure was lifted from May to October in 2025; check the latest notice.

Nearby

• Xi'an City Wall 西安城墙 under 10 km
  Cycle all 14 km of a Ming city wall, high above Xi'an's rooftops
• Forest of Stone Steles Museum 西安碑林博物馆 under 10 km
  Inscribed stone tablets of classics, calligraphy and Silk Road history by the south wall
• Shaanxi History Museum 陕西历史博物馆 under 10 km
  Tang gold and silver, original tomb murals and finds from Shaanxi's Zhou, Qin and Han past
• Bell Tower and Drum Tower 钟楼·鼓楼 under 10 km
  Two Ming towers at the heart of the walled city, where bell and drum once marked the day
• Muslim Quarter 回民街 under 10 km
  Halal street food and a temple-style mosque in the lanes north of the Drum Tower
• Big Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔 under 10 km
  A Tang-dynasty pagoda built for scriptures a monk carried home from India

Also within 30 km: Xi'an City God Temple 西安都城隍庙 (under 10 km), Yisushe Theatre 易俗社剧场 (under 10 km), Xi'an Incident Memorial Hall 西安事变纪念馆 (under 10 km), Tang West Market 大唐西市 (under 10 km), Revolution Park 革命公园 (under 10 km), Eighth Route Army Xi'an Office Memorial Hall 八路军西安办事处纪念馆 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open Small Wild Goose Pagoda on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• UNESCO World Heritage
• Wikipedia (Chinese)