XIAN
The Wild Goose Pagoda
The Wild Goose Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda
located in southern Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China.
It was built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty
and originally had five stories and now has seven.
One of the pagoda's many functions was
to hold sutras and figurines
of the Buddha
that were brought to China from India
by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang.
Visiting Japanese monks
CAVE DWELLINGS OF SHAANXI PROVINCE
A yao dong or "house cave" is a particular
form of earth shelter dwelling common in China's north.
They are generally carved out of a hillside
or excavated horizontally from a central "sunken courtyard".
The earth that surrounds the indoor space
serves as an effective insulator keeping the inside
of the structure warm in cold seasons
and cool in hot seasons.
The history of yao dongs goes back centuries,
and they continue to be used.
An estimated 40 million people in northern
China live in yao dongs.
Drying peppercorns grown in the courtyard
