A Complete Guide to Spring Flower Viewing & Photo Spots Around the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
The Great Ci'en Temple was a royal temple of the Tang Dynasty, built under the supervision of Monk Xuanzang. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda inside the temple was originally constructed in 652 AD to store Buddhist scriptures and relics that Xuanzang brought back from India. The existing seven-story brick pagoda stands 64.5 meters tall and is China's earliest surviving square pavilion-style brick pagoda from the Tang Dynasty. It is also Xi'an's iconic landmark. Today, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, along with the surrounding Great Ci'en Temple Ruins Park and the North and South Squares, forms a tourist destination that combines history, culture, and modern light shows.
📍Address: No. 1 Ci'en Road, Yanta District, Xi'an (within Qujiang Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Cultural and Leisure Area)
🚇Transportation: Take Xi'an subway Line 3 or Line 4 to "Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Station." The site is within walking distance, with Exit C closest to the North Square of Great Ci'en Temple.
🌟A Timeless Dialogue Between Monk Xuanzang and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
📍Photo spot: South Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
As soon as you exit the subway station, you'll see the South Square. The bronze statue of Monk Xuanzang in the center is a must-visit photo spot! The 5-meter-tall statue depicts Xuanzang in his kasaya robe, holding a monk's staff, gazing steadfastly at the pagoda as if time has stood still for a thousand years.
💡Photo Tips:
✨Best angle: Stand at an oblique angle to the statue, capturing Xuanzang's silhouette against the pagoda. This helps avoid crowds and creates a sense of solitude.
✨Lighting: Recommended shooting times are early morning or dusk when soft sunlight bathes the statue and pagoda, creating a natural historical filter.
🌟Buddha Statue and Pagoda in the Zen Park
📍Photo spot: Tang Dynasty Great Ci'en Temple Ruins Park
A 5-minute walk east of the South Square leads to the free "Tang Dynasty Great Ci'en Temple Ruins Park." This former Tang Dynasty temple site has been transformed into a zen garden with winding paths and scenic spots at every turn.
✨Buddha statue with pagoda: Deep in the park stands a white marble Buddha statue facing the pagoda. Shoot from a low angle in front of the statue to capture the Buddha's compassionate expression with the pagoda spire in the background.
✨Zen paths: The park features bamboo groves, stone lanterns, and small bridges. Wear hanfu or plain long dresses for perfect Tang Dynasty-style photos among the bamboo with the pagoda as backdrop.
🌟Great Ci'en Temple Peony Garden: A Thousand-Year Dialogue Between Ancient Pagoda and National Flower
📍Photo spot: Peony Garden inside Great Ci'en Temple
Every April, over 50 varieties of peonies bloom around the ancient pagoda, recreating the Tang Dynasty's grand flower-viewing tradition. Standing among the peonies, capture the majestic pagoda towering above the luxuriant flowers for a scene straight from a Tang Dynasty painting.
💡Photo Tips:
✨Best timing: Late March to early April, early morning when soft light and dew make the petals look more delicate.
✨Composition tip: Shoot from a low angle, using peonies as foreground and centering the pagoda to create depth.
🌟Tang Dynasty Great Ci'en Temple Ruins Park: Zen Pagoda Among Cherry and Apricot Blossoms
📍Photo spot: Central lawn area of the Ruins Park
Besides bridges, streams, bamboo groves, and stone lanterns, the park features cherry and apricot blossoms in spring. Recommended spot is the apricot grove on the park's east side (blooming in mid to late March): pink and white blossoms create a snowy effect with the pagoda spire peeking through. Wear hanfu for perfect Tang Dynasty atmosphere.
🌟Joy City Rooftop Observatory: Modern Perspective on Flowers and Pagoda
📍Photo spot: Joy City 4th floor outdoor platform
This spot offers panoramic views of the pagoda and features a rose wall in spring (blooming April-May). Use the pagoda's reflection in glass walls as background while posing by the flower wall for a trendy mix of modern architecture, flowers, and ancient pagoda.
🌟North Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda: Musical Fountain and Begonia Corridor
📍Photo spot: Walkways on both sides of the fountain
From late March to early April, the begonia corridors along the square burst into bloom. During fountain shows (21:00 in summer/20:30 in winter), use slow shutter speed to capture water features with blurred begonia petals in the foreground and the illuminated pagoda adding romance.
✅Nearby Attractions Recommended
🌟Grand Tang Mall (10-minute walk): Must-visit at night! Tang-style buildings under lights, popular Tumbler Girl performance, and Poetry Street recreate bustling Tang Dynasty scenes!
🌟Shaanxi History Museum (2 subway stops): Free but reservation required. Houses 180,000 artifacts; don't miss the crown jewel "Gold-Mounted Agate Cup with Beast Head."
🌟Qujiang Pool Ruins Park (15-minute drive): Former Tang Dynasty royal garden, perfect for walks and boating, cherry blossoms in spring and red leaves in fall.
🌟Muslim Quarter (20 minutes by subway): One-stop destination for Xi'an specialties like yangrou paomo, roujiamo, and liangpi.
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##Practical Tips**
- **Transportation**: Direct access via subway Lines 3/4 at "Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Station." Abundant shared bikes nearby for flexible sightseeing.
- **Must-see night view**: Musical fountain at North Square (21:00 summer/20:30 winter), Asia's largest matrix fountain. Arrive early for front-row spots!
- **Warning tips**: Watch out for illegal taxis around scenic area, use ride-hailing apps or subway; steep stairs inside pagoda, exercise caution with elderly and children.
The music fountain in the north square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a classic view of Xi'an night tour. When night falls, thousands of sprinklers weave beautiful water curtains under the light as the magnificent symphony starts to sound. The water column is sometimes as soft and graceful as the Tang Dynasty dance sleeves, sometimes as the galloping horse, and the solemn Big Wild Goose Pagoda behind it to form a wonderful mood of ancient and modern dialogue. The viewing area is always crowded, it is recommended to occupy the place about 1 hour in advance. When "Send You a Chang'an" rings, the moment the fountain and the ancient tower are shining in the light and shadow, it will still make people feel tidal. Free open audiovisual feast, not to be missed.
The fountain of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an is located in the North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, 218 meters wide from east to west and 346 meters long from north to south. It is a large-scale square of Asian sculptures. There are 2 100-meter-long group sculptures, 8 large-scale sculptures of people, and 40 reliefs of landscapes. It has a number of records of luxurious green contactless toilets around the world to keep clean, many benches in the world, long light belts in the world, direct water in the world, large-scale audio combinations and so on. In this digital era of light and shadow, when the mind yearns for a visual feast, we often go first, in the fingertips between the touch, in the phone album of others, to see the beautiful corner of the distant scenery. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda Fountain is the pearl of the leaping in countless screens, which affects every heart that yearns for beauty. Reference to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda Fountain, the heart lake will be full of layers, which is a dream chapter intertwined with light and shadow. But every mobile phone, like a magician of time, interprets this dream with a unique charm.
I waited in the square less than seven o'clock in the evening. Did you see the music fountain after seven o'clock? I asked the staff and said that the fountain time was nine o'clock in the evening, so I didn't wait. Tucao this time point.
In September of the golden autumn, the ancient capital of Xi'an visited Lishan in the daytime, visited Huaqing Palace, Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum and Qinshihuang Mausoleum, and returned by bus. It was already night. At the beginning of the lantern, the Northern Square of Dayan Pagoda was still attracted by the brilliant night scenery of Dayan Pagoda, and entered the square. People moved around. The fountain changed its dancing posture with the pleasant music. The largest music fountain in the continent, shocked by its magnificence and atmosphere, is the best place for Xi'an night leisure.
In the afternoon, only a few fountains were open and there was no music in the North Plaza of Dayan Pagoda, because the performance of fountains would not officially begin until the evening. The bus from the east side of the Bell Tower is very convenient. The next day, it was more than 9 o'clock when I came back from Qianling. I was still thinking about the music fountain. So I was still waiting for a taxi at the bus platform on the east side of the Bell Tower. Unfortunately, after waiting for nearly half an hour, all the taxis were full and there was an express train from drip to drip. It was very convenient to arrive in less than 5 minutes. Unfortunately, as soon as we got on the bus, the master told us that the music fountain was over at 9:30. Now it's more than 10 o'clock, so we should go and have a look. The master circled around the Big Wild Goose Pagoda again, looking at it from afar and feeling sad. I'll come again...
The water surface area of Yanta Music Fountain is 20,000 square meters, and the eight-stage frequency conversion square array in its eight-stage cascade pool is the largest square array in the world. Each pool has 7 levels of overlapping water, which coincides with the 7 levels of Dayan Pagoda. Music Fountain Lighting Show is the most wonderful free performance in summer night in Xi'an. Music slowly sounds, fountains and lights like dancing spirits, with music and interpretation constantly changing dance postures, combined with a variety of dazzling patterns, gorgeous, stunning! In the distance, the Big Goose Pagoda looks like a wise man with a bowed head and a silent voice, smiling at all this.