If you don’t want to be caught in a crowd for a weekend trip, Guyaju (Ancient Cliff Dwellings) is a totally unique and virtually undiscovered tourist attraction. It’s about ninety kilometers northwest of Beijing, so it takes about two and half hours to get there. The entire site can be seen in no more than two hours. Visitors should bring plenty of snacks and drinks as there are many stairs and no vendors in the area.
On the way up, there are some narrow stairs and footholds
Guyaju is generally believed to have been built toward the end of the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) by the ethnic minority Xixi (西奚), and is comprised of 137 dwelling caves built into 2 large rock walls. Some caves have doors, windows, brick beds, horse troughs, closets, niches for altars, and kangs (a firebox that channels smoke under a bed). Supposedly, the dwellers lived on the upper levels while the lower caves housed animals. But it still remains a mystery who lived there, when the caves were dug, and for what purpose.
You’ll need to try really hard to get to the second “floor”
Both the young and the young-at-heart love this place because it’s really exciting to be able to explore in the caves and imagine how people lived in these ancient dwellings. Be aware that there are some reasonably steep stairs and a few big drops, requiring a close eye on any little kids. You might need to duck for some of the caves.
It’s disappointing that visitors only have the access to the lowest row of caves. The upper levels are not open to the public for safety reasons, but you can have a peek at a typical three-room cave dwelling on the upper side.
Enjoy a peaceful moment without wondering how you’re going to get down again
Guyaju (Ancient Cliff-dwelling Site) 古崖居
Daily 8am-5pm. RMB 54, RMB 27 students, free for kids under 1.2m. Parking: RMB 10 car. Dongmenying Village, Zhangshanying Town, Yanqing County (6911 0333) 延庆县张山营镇东门营村
By bus: Bus 919 from Deshengmen(德胜门) to Yanqing Nancaiyuan (延庆南菜园); Transfer to Bus 920 (下营) or a minibus to Xiaying. Next, change to a minibus heading to Guyaju (古崖居).
By car: From Madian Qiao on Bei Sanhuan, take Badaling expressway to Yanqing, follow Jingzhang Lu to Dongmenying Village (东门营村), then follow signs for about 2km.
Approx distance: 90km
Photos: Wendy Xu
