Lugou Bridge

Welcome to the Lugou Bridge, perhaps more famously known to the Western world as the Marco Polo Bridge. Standing here on the southwestern outskirts of Beijing, roughly twenty kilometers from the heart of the city at Tiananmen…

Let us pause here and look down toward the riverbed to examine the engineering genius that has kept this bridge standing since the Jin Dynasty. Eight hundred years ago, the Yongding River was not the quiet stream you might see…

As you walk across the bridge, your eyes will inevitably be drawn to the balustrades. Here lies the true intrigue and charm of Lugou Bridge: the stone lions. …

Turning your gaze toward the eastern end of the bridge, you see the imposing walls of the Wanping Fortress. Constructed roughly four hundred years ago during the Ming Dynasty, this fortress was designed as a final defensive layer…

Near the entrance to the bridge stands a significant stone monument housed within a pavilion. This is the 'Morning Moon over Lugou' stele, featuring the calligraphy of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. …

Located at the very center of Wanping Fortress is the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. This institution provides a comprehensive and somber documentation of the period from 1931 to…

If you look closely at the center of the bridge, you will notice sections where the smooth modern paving gives way to the original, uneven stones. These are the very slabs that have been in place for hundreds of years. …

As our journey across the Lugou Bridge comes to an end, we are left to reflect on the immense weight of the history that sits so quietly here. Guarded by its hundreds of unique stone lions, the bridge remains a steadfast observer…