Small Wild Goose Pagoda

About one kilometre south of the South Gate stands the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. The Pagoda was built on the promises of Felicity Temple . The temple was founded in honour of the Second Tang emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi; 628-683, reigned 649-683) in 684, the year after his death. It was built by his widow who aggressively took over control of China as the Empress Wu Zetian (624-705, reigned 690-705 ). A famous Buddhist centre, Felicity Temple accommodated 200 resident monks during the Tang Dynasty ( 618- 907). Its most celebrated resident was the pilgrim Yi Jing (635- 713), who settled down there in 705, much like Xuan Zang (602-664) did in the Temple of Grace , to translate Buddhist scriptures he had brought back from India. The Temple was destroyed except for two large bells from the original temple courtyard. The two buildings presently beside the pagoda are the Ming structures now used as administrative offices.

The Pagoda was constructed in the period 707 to 709, though it acquired its present name only after its large neighbour to the southeast became known as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Its function was also to house Buddhist sutras. Although with a height of 43 metres it is shorter than the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, it has more tiers. In 1555 a big earthquake damaged the original 15- storey pagoda in the Ming Dynasty: A crack ran from the top to the base and the upper two tiers toppled off. Though the crack was revamped, the two top storeys were not replaced during the renovation. The present 13-tier pagoda is a tribute to some Tang architects, showing their skill in building a pagoda, which has witnessed dozens of other earthquakes during the last 200 years and is still standing. It was completely restored in 1965 and at the same time lightning arrestor and lighting equipment were installed on the pagoda. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is a square brick construction, with each side measuring 11.38 metres. Its style is fine and delicate with a rhythmic series of projecting eaves. Above the north and south arched dcorways on the first storey are the Tang engravings of ivy designs and Buddhist figures. Ming inscriptions describe the earthquakes, which the pagoda survived.