The prototype for this model is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an (the Ci’en Temple Big Wild Goose Pagoda), a landmark building of Tang-dynasty Chang’an and one of the largest and best-preserved Tang-period pavilion-style brick pagodas still standing in China:
 
– Architectural form: a typical square, pavilion-style brick pagoda consisting of three main parts—the base, the body, and the finial. The extant structure has seven stories, with each story gradually tapering upward to create a stable, elegant conical silhouette.
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– Craftsmanship: the structure is entirely constructed from blue bricks, meticulously replicating the eaves columns, dougong brackets, and balustrades of Tang-dynasty wooden architecture. The bricks are precisely cut and laid with tight joints, without a single nail or rivet, yet the construction has remained remarkably sturdy for over a thousand years—making it a quintessential example of the Sinicization of Buddhist architecture.
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– Cultural significance: commissioned by the eminent monk Xuanzang to preserve sutras and Buddhist statues, the pagoda stands as a testament to the cultural exchanges along the Silk Road and serves as a cultural landmark for Xi’an and all of China.