Lugou Bridge

3 min read

The Lugou Bridge was initially built in the Jin Dynasty and is the longest existing ancient bridge in the northern part of China. It crosses the Yongding River in the southwestern suburb of Beijing and has been there for more than 800 years. Marco Polo, a famous Italian traveler coming to China in the Yuan Dynasty, praised it as “the best and unique bridge in the world”. The Lugou Bridge is a multiplearch stone bridge with the total length of 266.5 meters and the width of 7.5 meters. The bridge body is supported by 11 arches that link each other. The conf guration of the bridge is simple and artful. Its body is firm and stable. 492 stone lions with different shapes are carved on the rails of both sides of the bridge. The Lugou Bridge has abundant cultural and historical contents. “The Rising Moon above the Lugou Bridge” used to be one of the “Eight Best Sceneries of Yanjing”. The “July 7 Incident” which shocked China and the world just happened here.

The Lugou Bridge consists of multiple straight arches. The span of each arch gets bigger from the banks to the central part of the bridge. The span of the lar gest arch reaches 13.45 meters, allowing big boats to get through it. The stone arches were made with wonderful construction skills. The huge stone slabs are f rmly connected with each other, creating fuent curves.

There are 281 baluster columns in total with the rails on both sides of the Lugou Bridge. Each baluster column has crouching stone lions c a r v e d o n i t s h e a d . T h e counting tells that there are actually 492 stone lions in total. These stone lions have not only an amazing quantity , but also various expressions. Being so vivid, they are the masterpieces of stone carving art.

The arches are consolidated with waist iron blocks, iron dovetails and so on. Thus they are very stable. The parts receiving the impact of f owing water are made into cutwaters with triangular iron pillars installed. Diamond Walls are built on both banks to support the bridge body. Between the piers are linking barrel vaults made of stone slabs. The structure of the bridge body is artful and reasonable. It is also very stable and full of rhythmic changes.

The picture Driving Rafts under the Lugou Bridge (part) composed in the Yuan Dynasty depicts the busy scenes of carriages and walkers coming and going on the Lugou Bridge at that time.

Eight Best Sceneries of Yanjing

It is a common name for the classic sceneries in the area of Beijing. The saying about the Eight Best Sceneries was started during the reign of Emperor Zhang of the Jin Dynasty (1190-1208). Then the contents changed several times. Presently, it usually refers to the eight scenic spots f xed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, which consists of “the Rising Moon above the Lugou Bridge”, “the Spring Shade in Qionghua Island” (at the foot of the Northeast Mountain in Qionghua Island at today’s Beihai Park), “the Autumn Scenery in the West Water Garden” (inside today’s Zhongnanhai), “the Trees Growing at Jimen” (the site of the earthen city of the Yuan Dynasty in today’s southern part of Jimenqiao at the North Third Ring Road), “the Snow in the Sunny Day in West Mountain” (at the foot of Xianglu Peak, highest peak in Xiangshan Park), “the Spring Flowing out of Yuquan Mountain” (the present-day Yuquan Mountain), “the Sun Setting at Jintai (not existing today) and “the Overlapping Green Mountains in Juyong Pass (today’s Juyong Pass).

July 7 Incident

At 10 o’clock pm on July 7, 1937, the Japanese army stationed in North China staged a military exercise with an ulterior motive near the city of Wanping. When the exercise was over, the Japanese stated that a soldier had gone missing and required the Chinese government to open Wanping City for the Japanese to have a free search. The 29th Army of China stationed in Wanping rejected the unreasonable requirements of the Japanese. Then the Japanese army started the invasion into the northern area of China, which they had planned for a long while. In order to open the door to Beijing, the Japanese army bombarded Wanping and attacked towards the Lugou Bridge. The Chinese defense army had a fierce battle with the Japanese invaders here. The holy Anti-Japanese War of the Chinese nation was fully started from then on.