A discussion of the significance of the world heritage site: Dayan ta

The Dayan ta (Giant Wild Goose Pagoda) inside the Da Ci'en temple in the city of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, was built by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty in the third year of Yonghui(AD 652). The pagoda was constructed to preserve the sutras and relics that the Tripitaka Master Xuanzang brought back from India. Over the past centuries, poor maintenance and multiple destructive wars have left the structure gravely damaged, and not until many generations of restoration work has it gained current appearance as a tourist attraction. In 2014, the Chinese government submitted the request for this site to become a world heritage and obtained the approval from UNESCO. This paper examines the purpose of the construction of the Dayan ta and its qualifications as a heritage site, and discovers that, in addition to the qualifications listed in the UNESCO submission, there exists an important spiritual element. This spiritual element is of great significance in the Chinese culture: The pagoda preserved the large quantity of the Buddhist sutras that Master Xuanzang brought back and translated into the Chinese language. The existence of the pagoda, therefore, made these first-hand materials available in their entirety to many generations of Buddhist practitioners and Buddhist academics to come. This essential element in Buddhist heritage demonstrates the depth and richness of the Chinese culture and testifies to the Chinese people's welcoming acceptance of multi-culturalism. It also has become clear that Master Xuanzang's unwavering spirit in his search for factual and verifiable truth has played a pivotal and connecting role as a background for the development of this Chinese culture.