This historic pagoda was built during the Tang Dynasty in 652 as part of a Buddhist temple complex. It was among the tallest structures in Xian, at the time the largest city in the world. To move beyond a postcard view, I walked through the surrounding neighborhood until I found these life-sized Tang Dynasty wrestlers made of bronze. They bring the dynamic flavor of the time to the scene, while the tower itself acts as context. Using the wideangle end of my zoom lens, I moved in on the figures until they dominated the frame, and filled in with the pagoda and is surrounding structures as background. Without the incongruity of those 1300-year-old wrestlers at work, this picture would be only a literal description of a building.