The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is situated in the Da Ci’en Temple, a grand complex in Chang’an, near today’s Xian City. Construction of the temple began in 648, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. The pagoda’s construction began 4 years later, an example of how the Chinese Buddhist pagoda tradition had taking root.

Many Tang Dynasty constructions were, like the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, simple in design, although they became more elaborate with subsequent centuries. The original mud-and-brick construction reached five stories high but was reconstructed between 701 and 704 in gray brick and elevated to seven stories, attaining a height of 64 metres.

The pagoda was constructed expressly for the purpose of holding the Buddhist Sanskrit scriptures acquired by the monk Xuanzhuang on his travels to India. The seven storeys of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda are strongly delineated by small roofs projecting form each level.