The Memorial of Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel Warfare Site is located in Jiaozhuanghu Village, Longwantun Town of Shunyi District, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Beijing. It features photos and an article once used in tunnel warfare, and presents a historical picture of the Jiaozhuanghu people's valiant fight for victory in the world-wide anti-fascist war.

These attractive tunnels were built during the period of China's War of Resistance against Japan (1937-1945). In the battle, the Jiaozhuanghu people summed up their experience of repelling the enemy and protecting themselves, and they developed a new method, one of Tunnel Warfare. They built 11.5 kilometer-long tunnels (7 miles), extending in all directions and forming a network of tunnels. With fierce, cruel enemies, the tunnels helped them greatly, and dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese aggressors. Even in the world war history, such a new form of fighting was a great wonder.

The ancient pagodas in the temple are distinctive in style. One in the northeast of the temple is especially important as it was built in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) and has an unusual and rare body. It is surrounded by four seven-storey small pagodas, built in the Tang Dynasty. Buddha's relics were unearthed from the Leiyin Cave in 1982 and was said to be Sakyamuni's remains after his cremation.

Fees:
Yunju Temple
CNY 40
Shijing Hill
CNY 15
Opening Hours:
08:00-16:30
Bus Route:
917 (Tianqiao Long Distance Bus Station-Donghugang) (天桥长途汽车站-东湖港), and get off at Yunjusi Daokou (云居寺道口), and then you could arrive at the Yunju Temple (云居寺).
616, 646, 917 Zhuan (917专), 917 Zhi 3 (917支3), 953, 971 to Liangxiang Ximen (良乡西门), and then take a small bus No.12 to Yunjusi (Yunju Temple, 云居寺).

The sutra inscription on stones in caves of the Shijing Hill is truly a spectacle. The engraving work began early in the year 605 of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and lasted 1,039 years until the Ming Dynasty. Subsequently, 3,572 Buddhist books were carved on the stone, which is a rare feat in world history. There are nine such caves in the hill; the Leiyin Cave being the most significant. Inside the cave stand four pillars, which are sculpted with 1056 Buddha statues. Visitors can see these stone sutras at the underground palace from nine windows. Now, a ropeway is available for visitors' climbing the hill and wanting a view.

The temple is renowned for its sutras on paper, wood and stone. The 'Paper Sutra', totaling more than 22,000 scrolls, was written and printed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The story goes that an eminent monk wrote one of those sutras with his blood to show his piety to Sakyamuni, father of Buddhism. The sutra on wood, called Long Zang (Dragon Tripitaka), containing over 77,000 pieces, was carved from 1733 to 1738 of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). This sutra is one of the two Tibetan Tripitaka books in Chinese, with the other named Korea Tripitaka kept in Korea.

The Yunju Temple lies seventy kilometers (43.5 miles) from Beijing downtown, Fangshan District. Backing on the Shijing Hill, it covers an area of over seven hectares (about seventeen acres). The temple itself, the caves with stone sutra inscriptions and a cluster of ancient pagodas make it a Buddhist Mecca and the temple preserves the most stone sutras in caves in the world.

It was first built in the transitional period from the Sui Dynasty (581-618) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). After much restoration during later dynasties, it revealed a sense of grandness. Six main halls stood on a central axis, comprising five enclosing courtyards. Wing halls, monk's dormitories and elegant pagodas are spread out in an orderly fashion. The temple was bombed and almost totally destroyed in 1942 during Japanese invasion of China. The current temple regains its elegant demeanor following reconstruction in 1985 and 1998.

Like most of the ancient Chinese military tunnels, Zhangfang Ancient Battle Tunnel allowed warriors to attack and defend themselves with as much freedom as possible. In this sense it served as a magic weapon for almost 400 years until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Now the tunnel is an ideal place to visit and learn about Beijing's ancient military history.

Zhangfang Ancient Battle Tunnel not only depicts the advanced military affairs, politics, and architecture of ancient China, but also the traditional Chinese culture of loyalty and integrity. Archaeologists speculate that this battle tunnel was designed and built by General Yang Liulang, a famous general in the Song Dynasty. His entire family remains highly respected in China for the great sacrifice they made for the empire. After all the men of the family fought to the death in the battle, their beautiful and valiant widows picked up the weapons and followed, eventually falling to the very same fate. The Yang family stands for the most valued virtue of the traditional Chinese people - loyalty to the empire.

Admission Fee:
CNY 20
Bus Route:
917 (Tianqiao Long Distance Bus Station-Donghugang) (天桥长途汽车站-东湖港), and get off at Zhangfang (张坊), then you could arrive at the Zhangfang Ancient Battle Tunnel (张坊古战道).

Located in Zhangfang Village, Fangshan District, Zhangfang Ancient Battle Tunnel lies 80 kilometers (49.7 miles) from the city's center. The tunnel was discovered by chance in 1991, and is the only known underground military facility in Beijing. It was built during the reign of Emperor Song Zhenzong (968-1022), the third emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

The battle tunnel is 4 meters (13.1 feet) deep, 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) high and 2 meters (6.6 feet) wide. The full length of the great underground tunnel is 1,500 meters (1,640 yards); 400 meters (437.4 yards) of the tunnel have been restored. The layout and detailed arrangement of this military tunnel were surprisingly advanced for its era; the tunnel houses backrooms, weapon rooms and military headquarters. Usually backrooms were used for the soldiers to take cover in the case of a surprise attack. Weapon rooms (as the name indicates) were used to store the many varieties of weapons used in ancient China. The lamp-stands which are located on either side of the tunnel cast an air of mystery on this underground stronghold.                                                                         

In addition, an ancient lectern and many tablet inscriptions are also worth visiting. This scenic area is indeed an ideal place to appreciate the natural scenery and research ancient Chinese Buddhism and architecture.

Admission Fee:
CNY 20
April 1 to October 31
CNY 15
November 1 to March 31
Opening Hours:
08:00-17:30
April 1 to October 31
08:00-17:00
November 1 to March 31
Bus Route:
314, 357, 376, 914, 919 Zhi 1 (919支1), 947, 949 to Changping Dongguan (昌平东关), then take a small bus to the Yinshan Pagoda Forest (银山塔林).

Among the eighteen still standing, there are seven pagodas in the original temple area which are the most renowned. Five of them are multi-eaved and were built in the Jin Dynasty. The other two are lama pagodas, built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Those Jin pagodas are ginger yellow in color, stand on a tall base, and are 20 to 30 meters (65.6 to 98.4 feet) high. Two of them are hexagonal ones, each seven stories, and the other three octagonal ones have thirteen floors. Fine-patterned reliefs are engraved on the surface of the first floor and the base. Inside the fake arches on the first floor are lifelike brick carvings of Buddha. Delicate brick carvings of corbel brackets can be found under the eaves of the first floor. One of the two Yuan lama pagodas resembles the Jin pagodas and the other is unique for its combination of both the multi-eaved pavilion and the lama style pagoda.

The pagoda forest to the south of the mountain also makes the mountain unique. Since the Sui Dynasty (581-618), this mountain has been a holy land of Buddhism and many temples had been built in the valley. To house the Buddhist relics, various pagodas were built in the Jin (1115-1234) and the following dynasties. It is said that in ancient times the pagodas in this area were countless; however, over the centuries, the temples and many pagodas were ruined. At present, visitors can find eighteen pagodas in the mountain region and in the original temple area. They are made of bricks and stones and consist of four parts: the base, the body, the corbel bracket and the top.