1.Things To Know Before You Go
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is located in the Da Ci'en Temple, which is the southern suburbs of Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. It was first built in the third year of Yonghui in the Tang Dynasty (652 AD) and was presided over by the famous eminent monk, Master Xuanzang. Despite thousands of years of vicissitudes, it still remains intact. As one of the famous Buddhist pagodas in China, it is also a unique symbol of the ancient city of Xi'an.
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is a pavilion-style brick pagoda, its pagoda body is built with bricks into a square pyramid shape, and there are stairs winding up inside, each floor has an arched doorway on its four sides. Standing by the railing and looking into the distance, the panorama view of Chang'an can be taken in the eyes.
In addition, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda scenic area is also a Buddhist holy land and is regarded as the place where Xuanzang, the greatest Buddhist scholar in China, translated Buddhist scriptures, the story of Tang Monk's journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures took place here, the purpose of building the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was to properly preserve the Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist statues and Buddhist relics brought back from India. The original Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was a five-story brick pagoda. After undergoing many reconstructions and renovations, it finally became a seven-story pagoda with a height of 64.517 meters.
2.Why Is Giant Wild Goose Pagoda So Special?
2.1 The Tangible Benefits Bring To Tourists
The Scenic Area of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda mainly consists of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Da Ci'en Temple, the North Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the South Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Shaanxi Opera Garden. Among them, the scenery of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is particularly outstanding, it is the key national cultural relics and also the place where the Buddhist scriptures retrieved by Xuanzang were preserved in those days.
In addition, the musical fountain in Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is also one of the highlights, it looks as if it were dressed in silver in the daytime, while it looks even more magnificent under the illumination of more than 3,000 colorful lights at night, thus it is very worth visiting by the tourists.
2.2 Attractions Overview
2.2.1 History Backgrounds
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, also known as the Ci'en Temple Pagoda, it is a brick pagoda built by Master Xuanzang to enshrine the Buddhist statues, relics and Sanskrit classics brought back from India. After returning from his westward journey in those years, Xuanzang translated more and more Buddhist scriptures, so he hoped to build a new place for these scriptures. When Xuanzang served as the abbot of the Ci'en Temple, if he wanted to build a pagoda, he had to apply to the imperial court at first, so he wrote a letter to Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, requesting to build a seven-story stone pagoda to preserve the flammable palm-leaf scriptures.
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda has been rebuilt for many times throughout the history, it was originally a five-story brick pagoda. Later, it was respectively heightened to nine stories and ten stories during the periods of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. Finally, it was restored to seven stories and has remained that way until now.
2.2.2 The Origin Of Great Ci 'en Temple And Big Wild Goose Pagoda
The Origin About The Name Of Da Ci'en Temple
Da Ci'en Temple was originally called as Wulou Temple in the Sui Dynasty, "Wulou" means being free from troubles. In the 22nd year of Zhenguan (the reign period of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty), Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, ordered people to rebuild the "Wulou Temple" and renamed it "Ci'en Temple" so as to offer posthumous blessings for his mother, Empress Wende, and cherish the kindness of his mother. In the 19th year of Zhenguan, after Xuanzang returned to China from his westward journey in search of Buddhist doctrines, Crown Prince Li Zhi respectfully invited Xuanzang to serve as the abbot of Da Ci'en Temple and hoped him to translate plenty of Buddhist scriptures and preached Buddhist doctrines. During the 19 years in the Da Ci'en Temple, Xuanzang translated numerous Buddhist scriptures. In order to preserve the Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist relics brought from India, Xuanzang personally participated in the construction of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.
The Origin About The Name Of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
In "Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty" written by Xuanzang, there is a legend about monks burying a wild goose and building a pagoda that he heard in India. According to the legend, a long time ago, the monks of a monastery in the Magadha Kingdom believed in Hinayana Buddhism and could eat the so-called "Three Pure Meats". One day, a flock of wild geese flew in the sky, when a monk saw the flock of wild geese and casually said, "Everyone has nothing to eat, the Bodhisattva should know that we are hungry!" Before he finished speaking, a wild goose fell dead in front of him, he was so surprised and delighted and told all the monks in the monastery, they all thought that this was the Tathagata Buddha educating them, so at the place where the wild goose fell, they buried the wild goose and built a pagoda with a grand ceremony and named it the "Wild Goose Pagoda". Thus the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was built by Xuanzang following the example of the Wild Goose Pagoda in India. Therefore, it inherited the original name of the Indian pagoda, and the character "giant" was added before the name of the pagoda, which represents the meaning of Mahayana Buddhism.
2.2.3 Tourism Resources
Big Wild Goose Pagoda is not only a symbol of Buddhist culture but also a witness to the spread and integration of Buddhism in the Central China. Inside the pagoda, there are a large number of Buddhist scriptures and statues, these precious cultural relics have provided visitors with valuable materials for the study of the history and culture of the Tang Dynasty.
In addition, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda has also attracted numerous poets to write poems and inscriptions. Famous Tang Dynasty poets such as Du Fu and Bai Juyi once left their poems here, praising the grandeur and magnificence of this Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.
In 1961, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was listed as one of the first batch of key national cultural relics protection units. In 2014, as a part of "The Silk Road - Chang'an", it was successfully included in the World Heritage List. Every year, it attracts large amounts of tourists to visit and experience its profound historical and cultural connotations.
2.2.4 Architecture Characteristics
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is a pavilion-style brick pagoda, its body is in the shape of a square pyramid, which is highly characteristic of the traditional Chinese architectural art style, each floor has an arched doorway. Inside the pagoda, there are wooden ladders winding up, allowing tourists to lean on the railings and look into the distance with a magnificent view.
The pagoda is 64 meters high and has a total of seven stories. The architraves, brackets and lintel boards of the pagoda body are all made of blue bricks imitating the wooden structure. It consists of three parts: the base, the body and the finial. The base is 4.2 meters high, about 48.7 meters long from north to south and about 45.7 meters long from east to west. The side length of the bottom floor of the pagoda body is 25.5 meters, presenting a square pyramidal shape, the finial is 4.87 meters high. The first and second floors have nine bays, the third and fourth floors have seven bays, and the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth floors have five bays. Each side of every floor has arched doors and all the bases of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda have stone doors. On the lintels and door frames, there are exquisitely carved Buddha statues in line engraving and brick-carved couplets, so they are really beautiful.
2.2.5 Culture Activities
As Chinese literati had the tradition of "a good scholar can become an official" in ancient times, so the ingrained concept is "cultivating one's moral character, managing family affairs well, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world", and the most gratifying thing was achieving high honors in the imperial examinations. In the glorious Tang Dynasty, there was the famous practice of "leaving one's name on the Wild Goose Pagoda", and the pagoda mentioned here is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Among those who inscribed their names on the Wild Goose Pagoda, Bai Juyi is undoubtedly the most famous one. At the age of 27, he passed the imperial examination in one fell swoop, climbed up the Wild Goose Pagoda and wrote the verse "At the place where names are inscribed under the Ci'en Pagoda, among the seventeen people, I'm the youngest", expressing his joy at achieving success at a young age.
"Wild Goose Pagoda Poetry Gathering" was once the most glorious chapter in the history of Big Wild Goose Pagoda. For thousands of years, more than hundreds of poets climbed the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, composed poems to express their feelings and left numerous poetic works. The reason why the "Wild Goose Pagoda Poetry Gathering" left a significant chapter in the cultural history was mainly due to the participation and promotion of the emperor and court officials.
3. How To Get To Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
Transportation Modes
Bus: Take bus No. 5, 19, 21, 22, 27, 41 in the urban area and get off at the "Giant Wild Goose Pagoda" station, then it takes about 8 minutes to arrive there.
Subway: Take Metro Line 3 or Line 4 and get off at the "Giant Wild Goose Pagoda" station. Walk southward for 8 minutes to reach the destination.
Entrance Fee
Ticket for Da Ci'en Temple: The full-price ticket is 40 yuan.
Ticket for ascending the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda: The full-price ticket is 25 yuan.
Note: Children under 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) in height or the elderly over 65 years old can enter for free, student tickets are half price.
Ticket Purchasing Methods and Opening Hours
Tickets for the Da Ci'en Temple can be purchased on site or reserved through the "Da Ci'en Temple" mini-program in We-chat.
Tickets for climbing the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda need to be purchased separately at the entrance for climbing the pagoda.
Opening Hours: 09:00 - 17:00
4. Highlights Of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
4.1 Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔
After Xuanzang returned from his journey, the Buddhist scriptures, the Buddhist statues, scriptures and relics he brought back from India needed to be properly placed and enshrined. Therefore, he submitted a memorial to Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, stating that "I would like to build a stone pagoda (Buddhist pagoda) inside the temple. The pagoda will be three hundred feet high to demonstrate the foundation of the Great Tang Dynasty and serve as the base for commemorating Sakyamuni." However, Emperor Gaozong thought that the project of building a stone pagoda was huge and difficult to complete, and he didn't want Monk Xuanzang to toil too much. So he suggested rebuilding it as a brick pagoda instead. Later, Master Xuanzang personally designed and supervised the construction, he even carried the soil and bricks himself. After two years of hard work, the pagoda was finally completed, the original pagoda had five stories and was 180 feet high, there were relics in the center of each story, but it was damaged a little due to the erosion of wind and rain. During the Chang'an period of Empress Wu Zetian's reign, the pagoda was rebuilt and became a seven-story pagoda.
Inside the brick niches on the east and west sides of the south doorway of Big Wild Goose Pagoda are two stone tablets inscribed by Zhu Suiliang, a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. One is the tablet of "Preface to the Sacred Teachings of Tripitaka of the Great Tang Dynasty", which is the general preface written by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty for the Buddhist scriptures translated by Xuanzang. The other is the tablet of "Record of the Preface to the Sacred Teachings of Tripitaka of the Great Tang Dynasty" written by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. These two tablets are also known as the "Two Sages and Three Wonders Tablets". They were written by Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong and inscribed by the famous Tang Dynasty calligrapher Zhu Suiliang. The inscriptions highly praised Master Xuanzang's great achievements and extraordinary spirit. The tablets of "Preface to the Sacred Teachings of Tripitaka of the Great Tang Dynasty" and "Record of the Preface to the Sacred Teachings of Tripitaka of the Great Tang Dynasty", which were written by the great calligrapher Zhu Suiliang, are located on both sides of the south gate on the bottom floor of the pagoda. They were erected here by Xuanzang himself during the reign of Emperor Gaozong and have been well preserved until now.
4.1.1 Inscriptions On The Wild Goose Pagoda 雁塔提名
During the process of tourists climbing the Wild Goose Pagoda, they may see a lot of inscriptions, all of which were made by the newly-successful candidates in the imperial examinations. During the Shenlong period of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, when the candidates passed the imperial examinations, the emperor would hold banquets and gatherings for them. They would first explore the flowers in the Apricot Garden, then have feasts beside the Qujiang River, and finally inscribe their names on the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. "Inscribing names on the Wild Goose Pagoda" was considered as the most glorious thing in one's life in the Tang Dynasty. Especially when those who had inscribed their names were promoted to high official positions like ministers, they could climb the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda again and inscribe their names once more with a red pen, writing down heroic and ambitious words.
4.2 Da Ci'en Temple And Xuanzang 大慈恩寺与玄奘
Da Ci'en Temple was the most famous and magnificent Buddhist temple in Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty, it was a temple built under the auspices of the imperial family of the Tang Dynasty, enjoying a prominent position and a grand scale. Xuanzang was the first abbot of the Da Ci'en Temple and was honored as "Master of the Tripitaka".
In the third year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty (629 AD), Xuanzang set out from Chang'an and traveled for study in the Western Regions. Riding alone along the "Silk Road", he overcame numerous difficulties and obstacles. After three whole years of arduous trekking and traveling more than 25,000 kilometers alone, he finally reached Tianzhu, the Buddhist holy land, then he spent another five years seeking the Buddhist doctrines in the Buddhist kingdom of Tianzhu.
In the nineteenth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty (645 AD), Xuanzang returned to Chang'an with great honor, carrying 657 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, eight Buddhist statues and a large number of relics. In the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649 AD), the Da Ci'en Temple was completed and Xuanzang served as the first abbot of the temple and built the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda to store the relics, Buddhist statues and Buddhist scriptures brought back from Tianzhu, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the translation of Buddhist scriptures.
4.3 The North Square Of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔北广场
The North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda starts from the southern end of the Yanta Road in the north, connects to the northern outer wall of Da Ci'en Temple in the south, extends to the East Square Road in the east and reaches the West Square Road in the west. It is 218 meters wide from east to west and 364 meters long from north to south, covering an area of more than 100 mu(16.47 acre) with a building area of approximately 110,000 square meters. The whole square consists of water feature fountains, cultural squares, garden landscapes, cultural corridors and tourism and commercial facilities. It is trisected by taking the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda as the central axis, it is the main waterway in the center, and landscapes are on the left and right sides such as the "Tang Poetry Garden Area", the "Dharma Appearance Flower Bed Area" and the "Meditation Forest Tree Area". At the southern end of the square, there are landscapes like "Waterfall in the Water Feature", "Thematic Water Feature" and "Viewing Platform".
The musical fountain is located in the North Square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, it is resplendent with bright colors at night and is an iconic landscape in Xi'an, it is divided into three areas: the 100-meter waterfall pool, the eight-level cascade pool and the front music pool, it can perform independently in each area or as a whole, there is the world's largest square formation in the eight-level cascade pool, the nozzles can be arranged and combined to transform into a variety of water patterns. What's more, the large laser water curtain fountain can fully burn and burst at a low temperature at a height of 6 meters, which is a sensory experience that tourists should not miss.
Today, many new records have been set in the North Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, as the largest fountain square and the largest water feature square in Asia with a water surface area of 20,000 square meters, it is also the square with the largest scale of sculptures in Asia. There are two 100-meter-long group sculptures, eight sets of large-scale figure sculptures and 40 ground reliefs in the square. In addition to this, there also exist the world's most luxurious green non-contact toilets, it is also equipped with the most benches, the longest light strips and the largest-scale sound combination to create many other world records.
4.4 The South Square Of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔南广场
It was built in front of Da Ci'en Temple and was completed and opened to the public in early 2001, serving as an interpretation of Buddhist culture. In the center of the South Square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda stands a bronze statue of Xuanzang, which is 4.98 meters high. Dressed in a cassock and holding a tin staff, the statue looks very lifelike. The square features lush green areas, small bridges over flowing water and a broad view, so it is a great place for tourists to take beautiful pictures and enjoy the experience of visiting the scenic area.
4.5 The Underground Palace Of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔地下宫殿
The Underground Palace of Big Wild Goose Pagoda is situated to the west of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, about twenty meters deep. Inside the palace, there are giant murals that have won the national-level and the international "Monte Carlo" Art Gold Award on display, such as "The Scenery along the Silk Road", "The Beauty of Sanqin" and "The Courtyard of Xuanzang". The items exhibited in the "The Courtyard of Xuanzang" reflect the real scenes of Master Xuanzang's journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures in the Western Regions and his glorious yet bumpy life.
During the Tang Dynasty when Buddhism prevailed, people began to burn incense and worship the Buddha, praying for the well-being and freedom from disasters of the masses. The magnificent and solemn "Mahavira Hall", the peaceful and efficacious "Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara" and the majestic "Eight Vajras" all symbolize good fortune in life along with prosperity and peace in the country. The underground forest of steles with a history of a thousand years, Buddhist sutra pillars and historical epitaphs on display can help visitors to gain a deep understanding of China's historical culture.
4.6 Palm-leaf Scriptures 贝叶经
Among the cultural relics preserved in the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the palm-leaf scriptures are particularly worth mentioning. They are scriptures inscribed on the leaves of the palmyra palm. It is said that since there was no paper in ancient India, palm leaves were often used for writing instead. All of the 657 volumes of the true scriptures that Xuanzang brought back along the ancient Silk Road were palm-leaf scriptures.
In the chamber on the fourth floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, two palm-leaf scriptures are enshrined. Each of them is about 40 centimetres long and 7 centimetres wide, with dense Sanskrit characters inscribed on them, it is said that there are fewer than 10 scholars in the world who can understand this script nowadays, making them extremely rare.
5. Suggested Tour Routes And Attractions
The Best Tour Route: Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺) - Bell and Drum Tower (钟鼓楼) - Tusita Palace (兜率天宫) - Mahavira Hall (大雄宝殿)- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔) - Inscriptions on the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (雁塔题名)- Xuanzang Tripitaka Courtyard (玄奘三藏院)
Bell and Drum Tower: The Bell and Drum Tower are very unique architectures in Buddhist temples, the bell tower is on the east side and the drum tower is on the right side. Its main function is to serve as a tool for monks to regulate their daily routine. One classic example is that the monks get up and start chanting scriptures for the day as the bell rings in the morning. The bell in the temple rings 108 times every day, which symbolizes getting rid of 108 kinds of worldly troubles. When the drum sounds in the evening, it means that it's time for them to rest.
Tusita Palace: Passing through the Bell and Drum Tower, visitors will come to the Tusita Palace. The Tusita Palace is the place where Maitreya Buddha, before becoming the Future Buddha, preached Buddhist scriptures in the Heaven of the Six Desires. In Indian Buddhism, Maitreya was originally a bodhisattva and a disciple of the Buddha. Sakyamuni Buddha predicted that when Maitreya's life in the Tusita Palace came to an end, he would be reborn into the human world and then become the Buddha. Therefore, Maitreya Buddha is enshrined in the Tusita Palace.
Mahavira Hall: "Mahavira" means a wise man in Buddhism. Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, is honored as "Mahavira" by Buddhists, which means an enlightened one and a wise man, indicating that the Buddha has supreme wisdom and boundless majesty and virtue.
Xuanzang Tripitaka Courtyard: It is situated behind the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Regarded as a group of buildings imitated in the Tang Dynasty, it mainly composed of Guangming Hall, Prajna Hall and Dapianjue Hall. There are a large number of reliefs in each hall, depicting Xuanzang's experiences. And in the magnificent Tripitaka Underground Palace, the parietal bone relics of Xuanzang are enshrined, which are the treasure of Da Ci'en Temple. Dapianjue Hall is the main building of the Tripitaka Courtyard, there is a bronze statue of Xuanzang in the middle of the hall. With clear and bright features, it shows a sense of firmness and deterrence in its compassion. Inside the gilded pagoda are the master's parietal bone relics and on the surrounding walls are reliefs carved from white marble that tell the life story of Xuanzang.
6. Best Time To Go
The best times to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda are in spring (from March to May) and autumn (from September to November). The climate is pleasant during these two seasons, and there are relatively fewer tourists. Besides, the best visiting period is from 7:30 to 12:00 in the morning. At this time, the light is soft, enabling tourists to take the most beautiful photos of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Moreover, the temperature is suitable in these two seasons, there is neither the coldness of winter nor the heat of summer, so it is very suitable for outdoor activities.
7. Nearby Attractions
7.1 West Garden Of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 雁塔西苑
It is sited on the west side of the North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda and highlights the characteristics of gardens together with places small sculptures with rich folk customs. The overall landscape integrates seamlessly with the North Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and forms an interesting contrast with each other. The whole West Garden emphasizes its regional cultural flavor with the folk culture of Shaanxi as the theme, it uses vivid sculptural art images to display the representative folk customs in Guanzhong of Shaanxi, the Weibei Plateau, southern Shaanxi and northern Shaanxi, such as shadow puppetry, paper-cutting, clay sculpture, the "Eight Wonders of Shaanxi", rural weddings, sugar figure blowing, stilt walking, interesting stories about the old city and the series related to "White Deer Plain", hence it is really intersting.
7.2 East Garden Of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 雁塔东苑
It is located on the east side of the North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda and is a cultural venue with public welfare nature named "Shaanxi Opera Garden", which unveils the regional characteristics of Shaanxi. Through four major categories of sculpture groups, namely painted opera sculptures, cast copper reliefs of local operas, group sculptures of great Shaanxi opera playwrights and group sculptures of famous Shaanxi opera actors, it reflects the characteristics of Shaanxi's regional culture and reveals the unique charm of "Qinqiang" (Shaanxi Opera). When strolling in this Garden, reading the facial makeup on the sculptures and viewing the sculptures of famous operas, it seems that the sounds of drums and music are floating in the ears. The sculpture groups composed of many traditional Qinqiang operas such as "Wudianpo", "Sandixue", "Guizhongyuan" and "Zhanliguang" are absolutely vivid. Just as the saying goes, "Loyalty, filial piety, faith, and righteousness are shown in noble deeds, while beauty and ugliness, good and evil are clearly distinguished. All aspects of the world are contained within."
7.3 Datang Ever-bright City 大唐不夜城
It is located at the foot of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in the Yanta District of Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. Considered as the only large-scale pedestrian street with a group of buildings modeled after those in the Tang Dynasty in China, which takes the culture of the prosperous Tang Dynasty as its background and the elements of the Tang Dynasty style as its main thread, it is also a landmark scenic area integrating shopping, catering, entertainment and cultural experiences, thus tourists may enjoy watching magnificent court dances, taste the delicacies of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, view various traditional handicrafts and participate in interactive activities such as DIY handicrafts and taking pictures in court costumes here. Apart from this, tourists can also take buses such as No. 44, No. 242, No. 500, Tourist Bus No. 9 or No. 271 from the North Square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and it will take about 6 - 9 minutes to reach Datang Ever-bright City, which is very convenient.
9. Useful Travel Tips
Here are some suggestions for visiting Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.Night Views. The night view of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda: It is extremely beautiful and is recommended to arrive at the scenic area at around 4 p.m, so that visitors can just take some photos along the peripheral check-in spots and then enjoy the night view after it gets dark.
Musical Fountain Show: The performance of the musical fountain in the North Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is extremely stunning and breathtaking, so it is recommended to watch it at 16:00 and 16:50 in the afternoon.
Food Recommendations: Visitors can find the very authentic local food in the South Square of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, there are all kinds of authentic snacks and the prices are also quite affordable.
