Juyongguan Pass (jū yōng guān 居庸关) is located at 50 kilometers northwest of downtown Beijing．The mountains flanking the valley have many graceful peaks．The slopes on both sides of their narrow passes are covered with dense trees and plants．So it used to be one of the famous“Eight Views of Yanjing”．There was a 20—kilometer—long valley called “Guangou” from south to north with 4 passes along the valley named “Nankou，Juyongguan, Shangguan and Badaling”．They were of great strategic importance in defending the national capital Beijing．Juyongguan Pass is one of them.

The 20—kilometer—long valley flanked by mountains was considered a screen of vital importance in the defense of Beijing in ancient times．Juyongguan Pass was one of the important passes along the valley，and also one of the most famous passes of the Great Wall．It was built in a mountain gap between mountain peaks with only one road leading to the capital Beijing， which determined its military significance in ancient times through many dynasties and it has been a contested point place by military strategists through the ages．In history it witnessed several battles that decided the fate of some dynasties. In 1122,the Jin court empire(1115—1234)1ed the army，took Juyong Pass first，then marched on to Beijing and finally overthrew the Liao Dynasty(907—1125)．The troops of the Ming also first took the Pass before they attacked Beijing，the capital of the Yuan Dynasty(1206—1368)．Some 277 years later，the peasants’ uprising troops led by Li Zicheng did the same thing in 1644 and overthrew the Ming Dynasty．From these we can see how important role that Juyong Pass played in the history．

The name“Juyong”in Chinese means” a place of poor laborers”. According to historical record, Emperor Qin Shihuang forced many conscripts to build this part of the Great Wall．In 1992，our government made a thorough renovation of Juyong Pass and brought it back to its usual power and grandeur，and it was opened to the public．Now it is a historical site under top state protection．

Cloud Terrace (yún tái 云台) in Juyongguan Pass
This is an ancient marble platform known as” Cloud Terrace”．It was built in 1 345 during the Yuan Dynasty (1206—136s)， inside Juyong Pass．There used to be three Tibetan style pagodas built on the terrace with a road passing through under it from north to south．Therefore it was also called” The Crossing Road Pagoda”(Guoj ieta)．Later when the pagodas were unfortunately destroyed，a temple was built on the very site and it was renamed“Taian Temple”．However，the temple was burnt down in a fire in the early years of the Qing Dynasty，So only the terrace remained．The Cloud Terrace is 9．5 meters high，26.s meters from east to west and 1 7．6 meters from north to south at the base，and it narrows towards the top．The carvings in relief on the terrace are of high artistic 1evel．Its artistic value was embodied in the marvelous carvings in relief on the front site of the edge around the archway and the stone walls inside the arched gate．In the middle edge of the archway，there is a carving of” Golden—Winged—Bird” the carvings of elephants dragons，snakes and plants with curved leaves arranged in a symmetrical pattern．Inside the arched passage of the Cloud Terrace are carved in relief of Buddhist images on the wall．

The images of the Four Heavenly Kings，the Buddha of Ten Directions and 1，000 Buddha Statues were all carved on the wall．The Four Heavenly Kings served as majestic guardians，which were said to have magic power against evil spirits．Their vivid expressions are presented with exquisite workmanship．Such grandiose relief works are rarely seen in ancient Chinese carving．They are undoubtedly brilliant representation of the 13th century sculpture．The stone inscriptions of Buddhist sutra and a record in eulogy of merits of building the pagoda were done in the building of the pagodas．There are also Buddhist scriptures inscribed on the stonewall in Sanskrit，Tibetan，Basiba(a kind of Mongolian script)，Xixia，Uygur and Han languages．They are the exquisite workmanship and vividness in carving reference for US．They are valuable to the study of Buddhism and ancient languages．

Contact
Address:About 50 kilometers northwest of Beijing.
Post Code:102202
Phone:69771665
Fax:69783054
website http://www.juyongguan.com
Email： This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Map

Attractions nearby
The Ming Tombs
Badaling Great Wall

Opening Time
7:30－16:30

Bus Line

• Tourist Bus - A simple and cheap option is to take a Beijing tourist bus. They provide one route that visits Juyongguan and Dingling (定陵) which is one of the Ming Tombs.The Great Wall (Juyongguan 居庸关长城) and the Dingling Ming Tomb (定陵).
• Everyday tickets sold from 6:30 - 10:20, bus departs at 10:30.125 Yuan includes round-trip bus fare and entrance tickets.Dispatch Center: Tian’anmen Square Phone: +86 (0)10 83531111
• Tourist Bus 1,2,3,4,5. Take #1,5 at Qianmen, #2 at Beijing railway Station(Beijingzhan), #3 at Dongdaqiao,#4 at Beijing Zoo(Dongwuyuan).
• Public Bus - Bus 919 快车 (kuai che) stops at Juyongguan. It is just a short walk up the hill from the bus station. Alternatively, you can take bus 919 支线 (zhi xian) to Nankou (南口), and then take a cab to Juyongguan for about 20 yuan. Buses numbered 919 leave from the messy Deshengmen (德胜门) bus station which is about 500 meters east of the Jishuitan (积水潭) subway station (subway line 2).
• It is not possible to walk from the Juyongguan section to the Badaling (八达岭) section of the wall.
• Organized Tour - If you go with a tour group, try to pick one that not only gets you where you want to go, but also doesn't take you where you don't want to go. Tourists are sometimes not allowed to leave "factories" or "galleries" until they buy something which is, of course, overpriced.
• When you drive a car, Take Badaling Highway at Exit 15(Juyongguan).

Ticket Price
From November 1 through March 31, admission is 45 rmb. Student ticket is 25 rmb.
From April 1 through October 31, admission is 40 rmb. student ticket is 22.5 rmb
Tips

• JuYongGuan is one of the three greatest passes of the Great Wall of China. The other two are JiaYuGuan Pass and ShanHaiGuan Pass.
• The best time for visiting Juyong Pass is May to October.
• Wear sports shoes.
• Snakes: Laogaozi (烙糕子) and Tiebingzi (贴饼子)