The Big Wild Goose Quarter

Introduction: From pagoda to pleasure paradise

Xi'an's rectangular walled inner city houses many of the ancient city's well-known sights such as the Bell tower and the Old Mosque. The city's two most celebrated places however, can be found outside the historic city center. First, there is the world famous Terracotta Army at about a one hour drive east of the city. And Xi'an's number 2 sight, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Da yan ta/大雁塔) is located in the city's southern suburbs.

Cashing in on the popularity of the tall pagoda as a major tourist attraction, the city authorities in the late 1990s decided that the entire area surrounding the Big Wild Goose tower should be redeveloped and transformed into a new and huge multi-functional tourist hotspot as well as an up-scale residential area. This huge project is by now about halfway finished and the results are already striking; parks, malls, conference centers, food courts and even entire theme parks now surround the BWG-pagoda. The city has already reached exactly what they wanted; to make a solitary place of interest into a full-day destination: The Big Wild Goose Quarter.

The Pagoda and the Da Ci'en Temple

The ancient pride and joy of the newly created Big Wild Goose Quarter of course still is the old pagoda itself; arguably the most famous of such structures in China. It was built a long time ago -during the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD)- with purpose of housing a small collection of Buddhist scriptures that was taken from India by a now famous monk. Construction of the original Big Wild Goose Pagoda was completed in the year of 652 and its location was then several miles outside of imperial Xi'an. Although it has been rebuilt several times after that, he BGWP that remains up until today (and measures 64 meters) is still a significant, historic structure.

A visit to the BWG-pagoda starts at the south square（大雁塔南场）where you'll find the gates to enter the Da Ci'en (大慈恩) temple complex. This is the temple area of which the pagoda is the centerpiece. When buying a ticket please make sure you buy the combi-ticket to enter both the temple ground and the pagoda. Many people make the mistake of unknowingly just buying the temple ticket, thinking it is valid for the whole complex. But to visit the pagoda you'll need an additional ticket, which is much more expensive if you buy it separately after discovering the mistake you made at the ticket window.
Da Ci'en temple complex is nothing too special, although all the buildings and courtyards are very well preserved. The gardens around the buildings are a better sight; they are very meticulously ‘groomed' and therefore are nice eye candy, especially so in the autumn.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda itself is hollow inside and broad staircases wind all the way to the top. It's quite a climb, so better take it nice and easy! On several landings on your way up, you can either look over some of the ancient Buddhist relics that are still present or enjoy the views from the little windows, which get even smaller and smaller every time you reach the next story.

If you don't like crowds, it is better to visit the BWG-pagoda as soon as it opens in the morning. Otherwise there is a lot of shoving and pushing around involved in climbing the stairs to the top of the pagoda. And a last note of advice: bring your own drinks and snacks when visiting this place, because the kiosks on the temple grounds, rank high among Xi'an's most expensive places to buy refreshments.

Big Wild Goose Shopping & Dining

The recent transformation of the Big Wild Goose area into a tourist paradise means that there are now plenty of shops and restaurants around to go on a snack and shopping spree. You can start your tour on the North Square where long shopping avenues were built on both sides of the plaza. The buildings (constructed in semi-traditional architecture) house numerous souvenir and specialty shops as well as tea houses, photo shops where you can dress up like an emperor and all kinds of western food franchises like KFC and Starbucks-like coffee bars. Critical travelers may note the sharp contrast between the historical pagoda and the flashy fast-food outlets and western-style shopping facilities; but for most of the Chinese visitors (as well as for quite a number of Western tourists) this represents the ultimate blend of rich Chinese history with modern convenience and affluence.

Talking about affluence; if you want to have a nice example of modern-day Chinese prosperity (and perhaps even an outlook in the future of the country) you just go for a walk in the area east of the Wild Goose Pagoda (in the direction of Tang Dynasty Paradise) Here you can see where and how China's growing upper-middle and upper classes like to live these days. Robust but majestic looking high-rise apartment complexes are surrounded by gated villa communities full of western-looking bungalows with expensive cars on the driveway and private security guards walking around the strikingly clean walkways.

Back to shopping and dining then: West of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda has a nice dining area along Da Yan Ta Xilu (大雁塔西路) If you had your share of Chinese food, but don't care much for American fast-food either, you can go to one of the Korean or Indian restaurants there. Although expensive according to Chinese standards; the food is authentic and tasty.

And this is just what the Big Wild Goose Quarter has to offer now. Huge billboards and even larger construction pits announce there is (a lot!) more to come.

Tang Dynasty Paradise

Key project of the Big Wild Goose Quarter's master plan was the construction of a theme park that would depict life in the Tang Dynasty; the dynasty during which Xi'an had its golden age and the BGW-pagoda was built. In 2005 the Tang Dynasty Paradise (大唐芙蓉园) opened is doors just west of the famous Pagoda.
Don't think (like I first did) that this theme park offers rides and attractions. It is more like a cultural/historical themed garden full of architecture recreating Tang Dynasty times. The entrance ticket price is 68RMB which doesn't include major shows, nor does it include the shuttle bus that rides around the park. Well, that shuttle bus isn't really necessary anyway because the park isn't that vast and the nice landscaping in-between the buildings make for an enjoyable stroll.
Besides viewing buildings like a replica banquet hall, tea house and market place, you can also enjoy several smaller performances that take place scattered around the park. There are acrobatics and tea ceremony performances as well as a marionette show and a traditional cockfight. I personally didn't like the latter very much; I watched the start but walked away when feathers were starting to fly about and the two cocks were clearly beginning to bleed on several places. Me, I find it cruel, but it is culture heritage I guess, just like our European bull fights and so on...
The best time to visit the park is definitely after dark, when all the buildings and pavilions are beautifully illuminated and a movie is projected on a mist fountain in the middle of the lake. The park also offers a huge evening spectacle called "Tang Dynasty Dream" but for this show you need to purchase an additional ticket with prices starting from 110RMB.

Whilst Tang Dynasty Paradise doesn't have any rides, the permanent fun fair called New World (新天地) located right outside of the north gate of Tang Paradise does offer visitors a large variety of traditional fair ground experiences, like a 3D Cinema, a swinging ship and a large number of kiddy rides. When buying an entrance ticket to Tang Dynasty Garden, you'll get some vouchers for New World fairground too. Although an appropriately campy place, a free ride at the New World fair is always fun. And once you've had your little thrill, you can go back to the Tang Dynasty Garden again.

The Magic Square

A day in the Big Wild Goose Quarter can only be properly completed by viewing the magical fountains on the North Square (大雁塔北广场) Because every night that square transforms into Asia's largest musical fountain.
At around 9:00pm (but ask around for the exact time, because it may vary from time to time) the square is illuminated in a way that even would make the mayor of Paris exceedingly jealous. Lights twinkle in the trees, moving light canons beam into the sky and music seems to come from every place. Then the magical fountain starts. And the fountain is really gigantic, covering the entire North Square from the base of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to the opposite end of the square at least 500 meters further. On the tunes of both European classics like the Radetzky March as well as Chinese evergreens, columns of water appear to be all around you. A really marvelous experience, that no one visiting Xi'an should miss.

Like said before; a complete and rather ostentatious makeover of a historically significant area like the Big Wild Goose Quarter isn't to everyone's liking. Especially people from the West often comment on the 'plastic' feel of such places and the so called 'Disneyfication' of cultural heritage. Yet this seems to be the way of the Chinese in handling their historic remnants and we travelers have no choice to accept that and to try to enjoy the current conditions of such places of interest. Luckily, in the case of the Big Wild Goose Quarter, finding that joy and wonder is not very difficult.