Housed in the pleasant grounds of the Jiànfú Temple is this museum featuring relics unearthed in Xī’ān over the years. There are some exquisite ceramics from the Han dynasty, as well as figurines, an exhibition of Ming-dynasty seals and jade artefacts. Don’t miss the basement, where a large-scale model of ancient Xī’ān gives a good sense of the place in its former pomp and glory.
Also in the grounds is the Little Goose Pagoda . The top of the pagoda was shaken off by an earthquake in the middle of the 16th century, but the rest of the 43m-high structure is intact. Jiànfú Temple was originally built in AD 684 to bless the afterlife of the late Emperor Gaozong. The pagoda, a rather delicate building of 15 progressively smaller tiers, was built from AD 707 to 709 and housed Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by the pilgrim Yi Jing. Admission to the grounds is free but climbing up the pagoda requires a ¥30 ticket.
Bus 610 runs here from the Bell Tower; from the South Gate take bus 203.
