Juyongguan

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An aerial view of Juyongguan Pass (around 40°17′18″N 116°04′07″E / 40.2882, 116.0686Coordinates: 40°17′18″N 116°04′07″E / 40.2882, 116.0686).

Juyongguan or Juyon Pass (simplified Chinese: 居庸关; traditional Chinese: 居庸關; pinyin: Jūyóng Guān) is located in an 18 kilometer-long valley named "Guangou" which is inside Changping County more than 50 kilometers from Beijing City. It is one of the three greatest passes of the Great Wall of China. The other two passes are Jiayu Pass and Shanhai Pass.

It had many different names in the past dynasties. However, the name "Juyongguan Pass" was used by more than three dynasties. It was first used in the Qin Dynasty when Emperor Qinshihuang ordered to build the Great Wall. Juyongguan Pass has two passes, one at the south and one at the north. The south one is called "Nan Pass" and the north one is called "Badaling".

This pass was connected to the Great Wall in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

In the middle of Juyongguan Pass, there is a "Cloud Platform" with another name of "Crossing Street Tower". It was made of white marble in the Yuan Dynasty with a height of 9.5 meters. Around the top of the platform there are many architectures such as stone railings and a watching post. They are still kept in the style of the Yuan Dynasty. In the middle of the base of the platform there is an arched door where men, horses and carriages could pass through. Many animal images were carved in the arched hole and the arched door. On the walls of both sides of the door, the statues of gods and scriptures are carved. There were three white towers on the platform in the past (this is how it got the name of "Crossing Street Tower") and were destroyed in the transitional period between the Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. Later a Tai'an Temple was built on the platform but was later destroyed in the Qing Dynasty.

The present Pass was initially built in the Ming Dynasty and received much renovation later. It is a very important strategic place connecting the inner land and the area near the northern border of China. It is also a defensive place for the ancient Beijing City. So it is wanted by all the military parties.

Once there were lush flowers and trees around the Pass like layers of green waves, so it got the good name of "Juyong Green Layers", which belongs to one of "Yanjing Eight Best Sceneries". The Chinese government is trying to restore the vegetation and although some progress has been made, the vegetation has not recovered to its past level.