Heads of state show you around Xi'an

Emperor Akihito (at far left) visited the temple in 1992.[Photo from the Internet]

2. Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Ci'en Temple

Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda in southern Xi'an. Built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty, it is well preserved and has become one of the emblems of the city. It is part of the Da Ci'en Temple complex, where there are regular music shows at the square's fountain, as well as pleasant parks and Western eateries nearby.

The temple functioned to collect Buddhist materials that were brought from India by the hierarch Xuanzang. Xuanzang, as the temple's first abbot, supervised the construction of Big Wild Goose Pagoda. With the support of royalty, he asked 50 hierarchs to the temple to translate Sanskrit sutras into Chinese, a total of1,335 volumes, which heralded a new era in the history of translation.

Emperor Akihito of Japan and President Ram Baran Yadav of Nepal visited the temple and spoke with the monks when they were in Xi'an.