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Yuntai Cloud Terrace (built 1342-45)

The Yuntai Cloud Terrace was constructed during the reign of Emperor Zhizheng of the Yuan Dynasty. The base once stood atop a busy street, and the arched opening was designed to allow carriage and foot traffic to pass in both directions. Originally the terrace supported three lama pagodas, but these were demolished in the early Ming dynasty when they became too dilapidated to repair. In their place, a Buddhist temple was built atop the terrace. Since the temple seemed to rise above the clouds when viewed from afar, the temple was often referred to the "Stone Pavilion in the Clouds". Unfortunately, the temple was destroyed by fire in 1702 during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.

The surviving portion of the Cloud Terrace is an important historical artifact of the Yuan dynasty. Its design attests to the highly cosmopolitan nature of Yuan society. For example, two documents on the interior of the pagoda—the Dharani Sutra and the Record of Merits in the Construction of the Pagoda—are carved in six languages: Sanskrit, Tibetan, Phagspa, Uygur, Xixian, and Chinese. These documents can still be clearly seen carved into the underside of the archway.