Located in a secluded gorge in the west of Yanqing County, the Guyaju Caves (Ancient Cliff Dwellings) are about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Beijing. Occupying over 24.7 acres (100,000 square meters) on the steep cliff, it is the largest site of an ancient cliff residence community in China. There are 117 caves in total, forming a cell-like spectacle on the cliff. Some experts calculate that it needed 100 people to work continuously for five years to complete such a large group of caves. It seems strange that most of the caves were chiseled out on the shaded slopes, having in mind the cold winter weather around Beijing.
The orderly location of the caves in the cliff face resembles a multi-storied building. The entrances to the rooms are adjacent. There are stone stairs, stone ladders, and bridges connecting the rooms on different floors. The caves have different sizes and shapes. No matter what shape the cave may be, they all bear features of modern dwellings. Although the stone rooms are generally rectangular, there are some that are square or round, about 5.6 to 5.9 feet (1.7 to 1.8 meters) in height and 3.3 to 19.7 feet (1 to 6 meters) in depth. The largest room is over 24 square yards (20 square meters) and the smallest only 3.6 square yards (3 square meters). There are some single rooms, some suites and many three-roomed apartments, none of which have pillars or beams.
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| Inside a room |
Photo Source: Collected from Internet
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