Juyongguan Great Wall

Juyongguan, literally "Juyong Pass"(居庸关), is situated in a valley named "Guangou" as long 20 kilometes, which is within Changping District over 50 kilometers north from downtown Beijing. It is one of the three most famous passes of Great Wall in China. The other two passes are Shanhai Pass and Jiayuguan Pass. The Great Wall around the Pass extends over 4 km snaking the ridge of the mountains forming the valley. The natural landscape surrounding the Pass is extremely beautiful.

Juyongguan used to be an ancient military town full of military installations, watch towers, official residences, temples, and other structures. Juyongguan Pass was first built in the Ming Dynasty and received much repair later. It was a very important strategic area linking the inner land and the area close to the northern border of China. The Juyongguan Pass has been well known for its strategic importance for over 2,000 years.

In the center of Juyongguan Great Wall, there is a 9.5-meter higharchitec ture named "Cloud Platform " (also called "Crossing Street Tower"). It is made of white marble during the Yuan Dynastyand in the shape of torch in platform. Many animal images were carved both in the arch and the door. On the walls to each side of the door, the statues of gods and scriptures were carved, which keeps the style of Yuan Dynasty. Juyongguan Great Wall is called "Juyong Green Layers" for the lush flowers and thick trees around the Juyongguan Pass.

The Juyongguan Pass Great Wall is sectioned into two semicircles - east and west. Most people prefer hiking on its west semicircle for its steepness and beautiful view. Each semicircle takes about 2-hour hike. So if you have time and energy, hiking both sections is a good choice.