Juyongguan Great Wall
Juyongguan Great Wall is 60 Kilometers away from Beijing city and around 20 kilometers away from Badaling Great Wall. It is an important pass of the Great Wall with perilous terrain, and highly recommended site to visit if you plan Great Wall of China tours.
Juyongguan Great Wall was built in a 15 kilometers long valley with magnificent scenery on both sides. It was listed as one of the Eight Sights of Yanjing (the old name of Beijing in ancient time) in the Jin Dynasty (around 800 years ago). Juyongguan pass is the gateway from the north to Beijing, there are not only Pan Palace (the ancient higher education institute), but also the shopping street for merchants to walk. There is not only God Temple, but also the palace for royal family.
After the end of Qing Dynasty, the buildings of Juyongguan city were gradually abandoned. In order to protect the cultural relices. local government made a comprehensive restoration of the buildings in 1992, which made Juyongguan reappear its former grandeur.
Juyongguan Great Wall Facts
What to See at Juyongguan Great Wall
Juyongguan Great Wall is one of the three most famous passes along the Great Wall, together with Jiayuguan Fort in Gansu province and Shanhaiguan in Hebei province. There is a plaque of “the greatest pass in the world” on the gate tower of the Pass.
In the center of Juyongguan castle, there is an exquisitely carved white marble platform called “Cloud Platform (Yuntai)”. This white marble platform was built in 1345 AD, and it was originally the base of buildings, the buildings were destroyed by fire and only the marble base remains. There are bodhisattvas statue inside, which is beautiful and unique.
After buying ticket at the gate the Juyongguan pass, you will enter the scenic area and there are many cultural attractions to see, such as Guandi Temple, Diecui Academey, Biaozhong Temple and so on. It usually takes two to three hours to climb up to the beacon tower on the Great Wall. Standing on the top, you can see one of famous Eight Sights of Yanjing (the old name of Beijing in ancient time)-“Juyong Diecui”. Among several sections of Great Wall in Beijing, Juyongguan is the closest to the downtown area of Beijing. If you don’t have enough time for an in-depth Beijing tour to the Great Wall a little further away, Juyongguan is a good place to go.
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Major Juyongguan Great Wall Attractions
Cloud Platform
In the center of Juyongguan castle, there is an exquisitely carved white marble platform called “Cloud Platform (Yuntai)”. There used to be towers and temples on top of the platform, but they were destroyed by fire and only the marble base remains. An arched doorway penetrates the platform. On the walls of the doorway, statues of four heavenly gods and sutra scriptures were carved.
City God Temple
The City God Temple of Juyongguan Pass was built in 1368-1397 AD, and was renovated in 1765, this is a large group of Temple buildings. The City God is the God who guards the city according to Taoism. Taoism believes that the City God can crack down the evil, protect the city and pacify the people, and respond to people’s demands. It is believed to have the power of bringing rainfall in drought and sunny days when flood comes. So the temple was built here, wishing the country be prosperous and the people at peace. In addition to protecting city, the purpose of building Town God’s Temple here is to restrain the army and the people.
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Luo Tong Memorial Temple
Luo Tong Memorial Temple is located in the southwest of Juyongguan Pass, with a construction area of 159 square meters. this temple was built to commemorate Luo Tong’s contributions. Luo Tong Memorial Temple is a courtyard architecture, sitting in the west and facing the east. There is a stone inscription “Biaozhong Temple” on the wall beside the gate of the temple. He was ordered to guard Juyong Pass in the year of 1449. In October of the same year, Juyongguan pass was attacked by Mongolian army (more than 30,000 people). Under to command of Luo Tong, Juyongguan was saved and so was the capital Beijing. Luo Tong was awarded by the emperor, and then set up a memorial temple to commemorate him in Hongzhi years.
Horse God’s Temple
Horse God’s is in the southwestern part of Juyongguan Great Wall. This small temple was built in A.D. 1504, rebuilt in A.D.1792 to worship the Horse God. As we know, battle horses are very important in a war in ancient times, the worship of horse god is for the health, prosperity and fighting power of horse. In Sui, Tang, Song and Liao Dynasty, there was an official system of worshipping horse god.
How Many Steps on Juyongguan Great Wall? How Hard to Climb it?
According to the official data of the 2023 Juyongguan Great Wall Marathon, the total number of steps on the Juyongguan Great Wall is 4,564. The course is 4,142 metres long and contains 4,564 steps, which is the equivalent of climbing 254 floors of a building.
In addition, due to the military defence design, the height of the steps of the Juyongguan Great Wall is inconsistent, with the lower steps being about 5cm and the higher steps being at knee height. The height difference is about 30-45cm.
Therefore, climbing Juyongguan Pass is physically demanding for climbers/hikers. Moreover, the Great wall of China Juyongguan section is much steeper than Badaling and Mutianyu Great Wall, with some of the steps having a slope of more than 70 degrees. It is recommended to take the zigzag route to reduce the pressure on the knees and use trekking poles. Due to the height and gradient of the steps and not cable car available, it is not recommended for the elderly, children and the infirm to hike juyong pass of Great Wall.
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Hotels in/near Juyong Pass of Great Wall
There are accommodation options near the Juyongguan Great Wall to suit different budgets and needs. For example, the Juyongguan Great Wall Hotel Beijing is the only 4-star and above hotel in the scenic area and is a 5-minute walk to the Great Wall entrance. Some of its more than 100 rooms have unobstructed Juyongguan Great Wall views. The hotel restaurant also serves speciality meals such as Great Wall beacon shaped snacks.
Other recommended hotels include Commune by the Great Wall Ubc (5.6km), Beijing Marriott Hotel Changping (12km), Crowne Plaza Huailai (16.5km), etc. The Great Wall Hotel Beijing is the only 4-star hotel in the scenic area.
How to Get to Juyongguan Great Wall from Beijing
1. Bus: Take bus No.919 from Deshengmen bus station, the last stop is Juyongguan Great Wall.
2. Train: Take subway to get to Huoying Station, and exit from G5. Walking about 15 minutes to Huangtudian Rail Station, take the train S2 to Badaling Rail Station, and then take a free shuttle bus to Badaling Bus Station, take bus 879 to Juyongguan. Please note the train tickets cannot be reserved in advance, you can only buy ticket at the ticket window on the same day.
3. Private car: Easy Tour China can arrange private Beijing tours to Juyongguan Great Wall which will be more comfortable and convenient.
Plan a Juyongguan Great Wall Tour with ETC
You can depend on Easytourchina, a trusted China travel agency to customize your China tour to Great Wall Juyongguan Pass. With local expertise, your 1-on-1 expert will create your own trip based on your personal requirements and make sure everything is taken care of throughout the tour.
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