Small Goose Pagoda 小雁塔
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 707, so that's a few years after the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Although it is smaller than the other one, it has more "floors" (some are only one meter tall).
Originally, the tower was 45 meters tall, but an earthquake in 1487 destroyed the top two and opened a crack that went all the way from the top to the bottom. There was a gap of 30cm in the wall. But then, in 1521 another quake struck and "magically" put the building back together.
The mystery was revealed during restoration after 1949. The reason why the Small Wild Goose Pagoda can withstand dozens of earthquakes is that wise ancient craftsmen have formed its foundation as a hemisphere of rammed earth. In this way, pressure can be distributed evenly when an earthquake happens. Just like a never-fall doll, the flexible and stable pagoda can survive these storms and earthquakes. - Travel China Guide
Several temple buildings surround the pagoda, where children were playing on that cold winter afternoon.
This is the 11th floor, and also the 10th. As you can see, the definition of story is based on the number of windows and not on the number of *floors*. The division between these two numbers was a wooden modern stairway.
This is the view from the top. The pagoda is located outside the old city walls, surrounded by modern Xi'an, inside a park.
At the foot of the pagoda was a bell, where people would pay 5 yuan to strike it 3 times and wish for good fortune. It is a copy of the original built in 1192 in the Jianfu temple, used every morning to pray for happiness in the Qing Dynasty.
The Xi'an Museum
Inside the same park as the Small Goose Pagoda is the Xi'an Museum. While you need to pay a ticket to access the pagoda, entry for the museum is free as long as you take your passport. It is smaller than the Shaanxi History Museum, but a lot less busy too, making the experience far more enjoyable.
I specially liked some of the statues there.
I call this one "come fight with papa smurf". This is a depiction of a foreigner from ancient China. "The non-asian have big noses, small faces and beards", says a friend of mine.
I named this one "A midget with a toupé on a camel"
And my absolute favorite statue: "the Bishop eats a popsicle", or "The Pope texting".