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Temples in Xi’an: the best Buddhist temples to visit

As Chang’an, Xi’an was the capital where Tang-dynasty monks translated the scriptures and founded schools of Chinese Buddhism that later spread to Japan. Many of their temples still stand, in the city and in the hills to the south. Here are the ones worth visiting, with the Taoist and Confucian temples visitors also ask about.

By The Popular in China desk Fact-checked by Alex Liu Checked 19 sources · 6 min read

Our answer

The cradle of Chinese Buddhist schools 祖庭

Several Xi’an temples are honoured as the ‘ancestral temples’ where a school of Chinese Buddhism began

652the year the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built for the scriptures Xuanzang brought from India

The short answer

The best temples in Xi’an are Da Ci’en Temple with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Daxingshan and Qinglong temples in the city, and Xingjiao, Xiangji and Caotang in the southern suburbs. Famen Temple, about 120 km west, keeps a relic believed to be the Buddha’s finger bone.

At a glance
In Chinese西安寺庙 (Xī’ān sìmiào), temples in Xi’an; a Buddhist temple is 寺 (sì)
WhereXi’an, Shaanxi province; Famen Temple is in Fufeng County, about 120 km west
Most famousDa Ci’en Temple and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔), Yanta District
Oldest by traditionWolong Temple, said by a stele to date from the reign of Emperor Ling of Han (168–189); Daxingshan was founded in 266
UNESCOBig and Small Wild Goose Pagodas and Xingjiao Temple, part of the Silk Roads World Heritage site since 2014
Getting thereMetro Line 3 to Dayanta Station for Da Ci’en Temple and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Buddhist temples in Xi’an

The city’s main Buddhist temples, from the centre out to the suburbs and beyond.[1][2][3][4][5][6][13][14][7][8][9][10][11][12]

TempleChineseDistrictKnown for
Da Ci’en Temple and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda大慈恩寺 Dàcí’ēn Sì; 大雁塔 Dàyàn TǎYanta DistrictFounded in 648; the pagoda was built in 652 for Xuanzang’s scriptures from India. Xi’an’s best-known landmark.
Small Wild Goose Pagoda (former Jianfu Temple)小雁塔 Xiǎoyàn TǎGrounds of the Xi’an MuseumTemple founded 684, pagoda built 707–709; about 43 m tall, with a bell cast in 1192.
Daxingshan Temple大兴善寺 Dàxīngshàn SìYanta DistrictFounded in 266; the cradle of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, taught here by three Indian monks in the Tang.
Qinglong Temple (Green Dragon Temple)青龙寺 Qīnglóng SìXi’anWhere the Japanese monk Kūkai studied Esoteric Buddhism; more than 600 Japanese cherry trees planted in 1986.
Wolong Temple卧龙寺 Wòlóng SìBeilin DistrictBy tradition the earliest Buddhist temple in Shaanxi, dated by a stele to the Han dynasty (168–189).
Guangren Temple广仁寺 Guǎngrén SìLianhu DistrictBuilt 1703–1705 on the Kangxi Emperor’s orders; the only Tibetan Buddhist (Gelug) temple in Shaanxi.
Xingjiao Temple兴教寺 Xīngjiào SìChang’an District, about 20 km south-eastFounded 669 for the remains of Xuanzang; his Tang stone pagoda is part of the 2014 UNESCO listing.
Xiangji Temple香积寺 Xiāngjī SìChang’an DistrictFounded 681 in memory of the Pure Land master Shandao; called the cradle of Pure Land Buddhism. Brick pagoda 33 m tall.
Jingye Temple净业寺 Jìngyè SìChang’an District, Zhongnan MountainsFounded 581; the monk Daoxuan taught the school of monastic discipline here from 624.
Caotang Temple草堂寺 Cǎotáng SìHuyi DistrictFounded 401 for the translator Kumarajiva, whose marble stupa, 2.46 m tall, stands in the temple.
Famen Temple法门寺 Fǎmén SìFufeng County, about 120 km westA relic believed to be the Buddha’s finger bone, found in the pagoda’s crypt in 1987; the 148 m Namaste Dagoba nearby.

Taoist and Confucian temples in Xi’an

Not Buddhist, but often on the same lists.[15][16][17]

TempleChineseDistrictKnown for
Eight Immortals Temple (Taoist)八仙庵 Bāxiān Ān, also called the Eight Immortals PalaceChangle Fang, eastern Xi’anThe largest Taoist temple in Xi’an, dedicated to the Eight Immortals; most buildings are Qing. Temple fair on the 14th–16th days of the fourth lunar month.
Louguantai (Taoist)楼观台 Lóuguān TáiZhouzhi County, about 70 km westWhere, tradition says, Laozi wrote the Tao Te Ching.
Confucius Temple (Confucian)孔庙 Kǒngmiào, now part of the Beilin Museum (碑林)Xi’anThe oldest surviving official Confucian temple; home of the Forest of Stone Steles, with more than 3,300 stone pieces.

Xi’an temples worth the trip

Da Ci’en Temple was built in 648 by the future Emperor Gaozong in memory of his mother, Empress Zhangsun, and the monk Xuanzang worked there after his journey to India; it was one of three places where the Tang court had scriptures translated. Its brick Big Wild Goose Pagoda of 652 is about 64 m tall. On the axis you pass the bell and drum towers, the Mahavira Hall and, behind the pagoda, the Xuanzang Sanzang Hall with his relics and a copper statue of him.

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda stands in what was Jianfu Temple, now the grounds of the Xi’an Museum. It was built in 707–709 with 15 storeys; an earthquake in 1556 took off the top two. Its 1192 bell gave its name to ‘Morning Bell at the Wild Goose Pagoda’, one of the traditional Eight Views of Guanzhong, and in spring the cherry blossoms around the pagoda draw crowds of photographers.

Daxingshan and Qinglong are the temples of Esoteric (Tantric) Buddhism. At Daxingshan three Indian monks, Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra, taught it in the Tang; at Qinglong the master Huiguo taught it to the Japanese monk Kūkai, who took it home in 806. Qinglong, rebuilt in Tang style in the 1980s, has memorial halls to Huiguo and Kūkai and more than 600 cherry trees from Japan, planted in 1986.

South of the city, several temples are the ‘ancestral temples’ (祖庭, zǔtíng) of Buddhist schools. Xingjiao Temple holds Xuanzang’s five-storey relic pagoda, flanked by those of his disciples Kuiji and Yuance. Xiangji Temple was founded in 681 in memory of Shandao, a founder of Pure Land Buddhism; Jingye Temple, in the Zhongnan Mountains, is where the monk Daoxuan taught monastic discipline; and Caotang Temple was built in 401 for Kumarajiva, whose translations underpin the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) school.

Famen Temple, about 120 km west in Fufeng County, is a day trip. When the crypt under its pagoda was opened on 3 April 1987, it held a relic believed to be a finger bone of the Buddha, kept in eight nested boxes, along with many Tang treasures. A cultural park opened in 2009 adds the Namaste Dagoba, 148 m tall.[1][2][3][4][18][5][6][7][9][10][11][12]

How to plan a temple day in Xi’an

  1. 1

    Start with the city temples

    Da Ci’en Temple and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda are on Metro Line 3 at Dayanta Station. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is in the Xi’an Museum grounds Wolong Temple is in Beilin District.

  2. 2

    Add the Esoteric temples

    Daxingshan is in Yanta District, like Da Ci’en. Go to Qinglong in spring for the cherry blossoms; Xinhua photographed visitors among the flowers there at the end of March 2024.

  3. 3

    Make a day of the southern suburbs

    Xingjiao (about 20 km south-east), Xiangji and Jingye are all in Chang’an District, at the edge of the Zhongnan Mountains; Caotang is in Huyi District. They are spread out, so allow plenty of time between them.

  4. 4

    Allow a full day for Famen

    Famen Temple is about 120 km west of Xi’an. Louguantai, the Taoist site linked with Laozi, is about 70 km west.

  5. 5

    Check tickets before you go

    Prices, opening hours and booking rules change, and we could not confirm current ones from an official source, so check on the day. For general manners inside, see our guide to Chinese temples.

Questions readers ask

What is the most famous temple in Xi’an?

Da Ci’en Temple, home of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The temple was founded in 648 and the pagoda built in 652 to hold scriptures the monk Xuanzang brought from India. It is in Yanta District, by Dayanta Station on Metro Line 3.

What is the oldest temple in Xi’an?

By tradition, Wolong Temple in Beilin District, which a stele dates to the reign of Emperor Ling of Han (168–189). Daxingshan Temple was founded in 266 and Caotang Temple in 401.

Are the Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas in temples?

Yes. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda stands in Da Ci’en Temple. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda stood in Jianfu Temple, founded in 684, and is now in the grounds of the Xi’an Museum. Both have been part of the Silk Roads World Heritage site since 2014.

Is there a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Xi’an?

Yes: Guangren Temple in Lianhu District, built in 1703–1705 on the Kangxi Emperor’s orders. It belongs to the Gelug school and is the only Tibetan Buddhist temple in Shaanxi.

Where can I see cherry blossoms at a temple in Xi’an?

Qinglong Temple, which planted more than 600 Japanese cherry trees in 1986, and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in the Xi’an Museum grounds. Both are at their best around late March: Xinhua photographed cherry blossoms by the Small Wild Goose Pagoda on 27 March 2024 and visitors among the flowers at Qinglong on 31 March 2024.

How far is Famen Temple from Xi’an?

About 120 km west, in Fufeng County. It keeps a relic believed to be a finger bone of the Buddha, found when the pagoda’s crypt was opened in 1987.

Where is Xuanzang buried?

At Xingjiao Temple in Chang’an District, about 20 km south-east of Xi’an. The temple was founded in 669 for his remains, which lie in a five-storey Tang pagoda beside those of two disciples.

Are there Taoist temples in Xi’an?

Yes. The Eight Immortals Temple in eastern Xi’an is the city’s largest Taoist temple, and Louguantai, about 70 km west, is where tradition says Laozi wrote the Tao Te Ching.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, Daci’en Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  2. Wikipedia, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  3. Shaanxi Provincial Government (English), Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  4. Wikipedia, Small Wild Goose Pagoda · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  5. Wikipedia, Daxingshan Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  6. Wikipedia, Qinglong Temple (Xi’an) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  7. Wikipedia, Xingjiao Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  8. Shaanxi Provincial Government (English), Xingjiao Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  9. Wikipedia, Xiangji Temple (Shaanxi) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  10. Wikipedia, Jingye Temple (Shaanxi) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  11. Wikipedia, Caotang Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  12. Wikipedia, Famen Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  13. Wikipedia, Wolong Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  14. Wikipedia, Guangren Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  15. Shaanxi Provincial Government (English), Temple of the Eight Immortals · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  16. Wikipedia, Louguantai · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  17. China Confucius Foundation, Confucius Temple in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (April 2024) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  18. China Daily, Spring blossoms near Xi’an Museum (27 March 2026) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
  19. Xinhua via gov.cn, Spring tourism in Xi’an (14 April 2024) · accessed 1 Nov 2026

Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction

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