Juyong Pass Great Wall, which can be reached by the Badaling Expressway, is one of the most famous military fortresses along the thousand-li Great Wall; in ancient times it played an important role in guarding the capital.
The earliest record of the name Juyong is found in a book written during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, which says that it was one of the nine major forts in China.
In the Yuan Dynasty, the pass was an important stop on the way from Dadu (Beijing) to Shangdu (Duolun in Inner Mongolia). Imperial abodes, temples and gardens were built here for the emperors, who frequently passed here. The Cloud Platform that remains was built in that dynasty as the base of three Lamaist pagodas, which were destroyed in the late Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty. The arch in the platform is adorned with Buddhist images and inscribed with scripture texts in six languages——Sanskrit, Tibetan, Western-Xia script, Uighur, Phags-pa, and Chinese. These are important for research into Buddhism in the Yuan Dynasty, ancient written languages, and cultural exchanges between ethnic groups in ancient times; they are also masterpieces of carving as practiced in the Yuan Dynasty.
In the Ming Dynasty, a full-fledged town came into being around the pass, with a five-line defence system that comprised of a byway fortress, an outer fortress (Badaling), an upper fortress, a middle fortress (Juyong Pass), and a southern fortress. Juyong Pass housed the headquarters, and the town was guarded by Longqing Guards. In the town, which is rich in cultural deposits, there is a government office, a warehouse, a library, an arsenal, temples, and Confucian schools. Strategically important, the pass lies among great mountains, commanding a pleasant view of overlapping ridges, lush woods, and meandering brooks; it has long been known for its “72 attractions”. It scenery was listed among the “eight greatest scenic spots of Beijing” in the Jin, Ming, and Qing Dynasties respectively. Today you may still see a stele inscribed with the characters Juyong Diecui (Lushness at Juyong Pass) written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.
The 2000-year-old pass keeps precious cultural heritages that offer us a vista of the political, economic, cultural and artistic landscape of ancient China. However, wars and conflicts had made most of the structures damaged. To restore its grandeur, governments at various levels and cultural relic administration departments, encouraged by Deng Xiaoping's inscription “Love China, Repair the Great Wall”, have been renovating the pass in accordance with the requirements of “effective protection, scientific administration, and proper use”. The first phase of the restoration project, which started in 1992, has been completed, during which 58 structures were rebuilt, including the Juyong-Pass-section of the Great Wall, the lookout tower, the dorm, beacon towers, temples within and without the pass town, the granary, archways, and the library. The second phase of the restoration project, which was started in August 2000, was completed in April 2002. Between the Cloud Platform and the north town tower, the Juyong ancient street was rebuilt and an ancient-style street was added. Cuiping Lake has been beautified. A number of service facilities have been built, including a parking lot, hotels, restaurants, shops, entertainment facilities, and gyms. An ancient-style four-star hotel has been built, in the style of a brick-and-wood Ming-dynasty courtyard, and covers an area of 12,600 square meters. |
Asia Travel 
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