Juyong Pass

This guide to Juyong Pass near Beijing centers on the Cloud Platform, a marble archway built in 1342 by the last Yuan emperor as a gateway once crowned with three white stupas. You'll hear about the carved Four Heavenly Kings towering over travelers and the sacred verses cut into the stone in six different scripts, from Sanskrit to the nearly-forgotten Tangut language, meant to bless every traveler regardless of tongue. Look up at the carvings as you pass beneath the arch.