Marco Polo Bridge
Marco Polo Bridge is located 15 kilometers southwest of Beijing. Also known as Guangli Bridge, it runs along the banks of the Yongding River. According to historical records, "Lugou River is also called Heishui (Black Water) River." In the local dialect in ancient times, lu (reed) meant black; thus, the Heishui River became known as the Lugou River, and the bridge was accordingly given the same name.
A little history
The archives say that the Lugou River was "turbulent and flowing unusually fast." With the construction of the Guantan Reservoir after 1949, upstream of the Marco Polo Bridge, many trees were planted on the banks of the river, and the previous location was also tamed, no longer presenting a constant risk of flooding.
The Lugou River was also known as the Wuding (Lack of Stability) River, and although the Kangxi Emperor gave it the auspicious name of Yongding (Eternal Stability), it was only after the founding of the People's Republic that the river truly became "eternally stable." However, seven centuries later, the river water remains as fast as ever. But thanks to the unusually strong construction of the bridge's foundation, the endless impacts of the torrential current did not leave any traces on it.
Brief history and architecture
The Marco Polo Bridge is located at a strategic point on the only land route leading to the capital from the south. Construction of the bridge began in 1189 and was completed four years later. The length of the white marble structure is 235 meters. It has 11 arches and the same number of wide supports. At the extreme ends of the Marco Polo Bridge there are two stone steles, one of which tells the story of the renovation work carried out during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (1662-1722), and the other of which bears the inscription “Moon over Lugou Bridge at Dawn”, made by the hand of the Qianlong Emperor.
Long the Marco Polo Bridge there are two rows of carved white marble balustrades topped by pillars with carved figures of lions. Beijing residents have a saying that “the lions on Lugou Bridge are too many to count,” which is explained by the fact that the lions are carved in a variety of aspects and are unevenly distributed among the 280 white marble pillars. A pair of brightly carved reclining stone elephants and many other animal figures guard each end of this structure.
Incident on the Marco Polo Bridge
On July 7, 1937, the first shot of the Japanese Resistance was fired at the Marco Polo Bridge. But now all signs of war have long disappeared, this is a safe place. As the sun sets, the shadows of the nearby Shijinshna Steel Mill cast a red glow across the sky, illuminating the bridge in fiery splendor.
