In October of the twenty-second year of Zhenguan (648), the Great Ci'en Temple was built by the dilapidated Sui Dynasty temple, and Tang Taizong gave the temple the name "Daci'en Temple". Subsequently, Gaozong Li Zhi, who was the crown prince at the time, invited Master Xuanzang to come to the Daci'en Temple Translation Institute to engage in the translation of Buddhist scriptures and preside over the affairs of the temple. Under the auspices of Xuanzang, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was added to the temple, and the Great Ci'en Temple grew into one of the three major scripture translation fields in Chang'an. Today, the Great Ci'en Temple still guards Xi'an with the legend of Master Xuanzang.

The Great Ci'en Temple looks north at the bell tower, south to the Qujiang Pond, and the Tang Paradise and Shaanxi History Museum are surrounded by it. The temple is located in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda Music Fountain Square, which was built in 2004 with the temple as the center, becoming the largest civic park in Xi'an. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the temple is the central axis of the north and south of the square, which gradually increased its popularity, and the Great Ci'en Temple where it is located has also stood out from many Buddhist temples in Xi'an and has become a famous temple. The Great Ci'en Temple is inferior to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in terms of scarcity, inferior to the Shaanxi History Museum in terms of richness of cultural relics, and its historical status is not as outstanding as Huashan, so it is only ranked fourth.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the most majestic central building of the whole temple, and it is a relatively well-preserved imitation wooden pavilion-style brick tower. The tower rises from the ground and rises, the height is about 64.5 meters, a total of seven floors, and is composed of the tower base, the tower body and the tower stop. The four sides of the first floor of the tower body are stone coupon holes, the lintel and the line on the pillar body are delicately depicted, and the famous "Tang Dynasty Sanzang Holy Sect Preface Tablet" is on both sides of the south coupon cave door on the first floor. The wooden staircase in the tower spirals upward. There are coupon holes on all sides of each floor, and the scenery of each window is different, which is an excellent place to look at the scenery of Xi'an City. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda Climbing Ticket is not included in the Grand Mercy and Grace Temple ticket and needs to be purchased separately. When going up the tower, the stairs are steep and not suitable for backpack climbing, so it is recommended to bring only a camera or mobile phone and travel light.

Located in front of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Daxiong Hall is the main hall of the temple and one of the central buildings of the Great Mercy and Grace Temple. The hall is built on a high platform and is surrounded by white marble railings. The stone steps are also white marble, and the double dragon play bead relief in the center divides the steps into two. A rectangular incense burner is placed on the stone steps in front of the hall, the incense is vigorous, and the incense is burned continuously all day long. Visitors can go to the right side of the temple gate to receive three incense sticks for free, which are used for incense. The hall is carved with beams and paintings, but there are three sections of low fences at the door steps, which prohibit tourists from entering, and visitors can only stand outside the temple gate to watch and watch. In the center of the main hall is dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha, and the Buddha's two disciples, Kasa Buddha and Ananda Buddha, stand on either side. The Bodhisattva Puxian, who symbolizes truth, and Manjushri, who symbolizes wisdom, stand on the east and west sides, and the eighteen Arhats such as Xuanzang and Qingyou have different eyebrows and low eyebrows. On the back of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the Xuanzang Memorial Hall, which enshrines a statue of Master Xuanzang. The memorial hall has a total of three halls, each of which introduces the past and future generations of Buddhism and the life of Xuanzang.

In addition to the magnificent atmosphere of each hall, worthy of study, there are many kinds of plants in the Great Ci'en Temple, which are simple and solemn and quiet and elegant. In the tower garden on the east side of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the pines and cypresses are verdant, the bamboo is dense, and the trees are lush. In addition to the two rows of arborvitae, cedar and dragon claw, there are also peony gardens, Guanyin gardens and Tallinn areas, and trees such as French plane trees and ginkgo biloba are also planted. The yellow ginkgo biloba and the red peony all add a bit of agility to the straight temple building, and the temple suddenly feels poetic and picturesque.

The temple was renovated in 2016, and compared to other temples, the decorations and murals in the halls of the temple are more elaborate, and the ancient buildings are better preserved. The incense in the temple is curling, the bell is chanting, and it has a charm and is worth visiting.

Reference play time: 30 minutes ~ 1 hour

Reference ticket price: 40 yuan; 30 yuan for climbing the tower

Opening Hours:

Peak season: 8:30~18:30

Low season: 8:30~18:00