Overview
Xuanzang translated his manuscripts here after a seventeen-year journey, and the pagoda was raised at his request in the grounds of Da Ci’en Temple. Rebuilt in 704 and repaired many times since, it leans slightly and has survived earthquakes that flattened much else. The square plan and receding storeys are the Tang model that later pagodas across East Asia followed.
Highlights
Climb the seven storeys for the view over the temple roofs and the modern city beyond. The north square below runs a large musical fountain on a set schedule, which is where the city gathers in the evening. The temple halls and the Xuanzang statue at the south gate are free of the pagoda’s separate climbing fee.