Marco Polo Bridge

The Marco Polo Bridge or Lugou Bridge (simplified Chinese: 卢沟桥; traditional Chinese: 盧溝橋; pinyin: Lúgōu Qiáo) is a famous stone bridge located 15 km southwest of the Beijing city center in the Fengtai District. It bridges the Yongding River—a major tributary of Hai River (although, in recent years, the water of Yongding River has been diverted to different areas of Beijing so often there is no water under the bridge). Situated at the eastern end of the bridge is the Wanping Fortress, a historic 17th-century fortress, with the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression inside.

History

Construction of the original bridge on this site commenced in 1189, the final year of Emperor Shizong of Jin's reign and was completed under his successor in 1192. Following damage from the flooding Yongding, the bridge was reconstructed under the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty in 1698. The Marco Polo Bridge is well-known because it was highly praised by the Venetian traveler Marco Polo during his visit to China in the 13th century (leading the bridge to become known in Europe simply as the Marco Polo Bridge), and for the 20th century Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which marked the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).