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| Marco Polo Bridge (Lugouqiao) |
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"Over this river there is a very fine stone bridge, so fine
indeed, that it has very few equals in the world."
--- The Diary of Marco Polo
The Marco Polo Bridge is located 15 kilometers southwest of Beijing
proper. Known also as the Guangli Bridge, it spans the banks of
the Yongding River. According to historical records, the "Lugou
River is also called the 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.
Historical records also inform us that the Lugou River was "violent
and flowed extraordinarily rapidly." With the post-1949 construction
of the Guanting Reservoir upstream from the bridge, a multitude
of trees were planted on the river banks and the formerly disposition
was also tamed, no longer presenting he constant danger of floods.
The Lugou River was also known as the Wuding (Lacking Stability)
River, and despite the fact that Emperor Kangxi had the auspicious
name Yongding (Eternal Stability) bestowed upon it, it was only
after the founding of the People's Republic that eh river truly
became "eternally stable." After seven centuries, however,
the river water remains as swift as ever. Owing, however, tot eh
extraordinarily durable construction of the bridge's foundation;
the endless battering of the torrential current has left no mark
on it.
The Lugou Bridge is situated at a strategic point on the one overland
route to the capital from the south. Bridge construction was begun
in 1189 and completed four years later. The bridge is 235 meters
long of white marble. It has 11 arches and as many broad piers.
At the extremes of the bridge there are two stone stelae, one recording
the history of the renovation work carried out in the reign of Emperor
Kangxi (1662-1722), and the other bearing the inscription "The
Moon over the Lugou Bridge at Dawn" in the handwriting of Emperor
Qianlong.
Lining the bridge are two rows of carved white marble balustrades
topped by posts carved with figures of lions. The people of Beijing
have a saying to the effect that "the lions of the Lugou Bridge
are too numerous to count," which is explained by the fact
that the lions are carved in a great variety of aspects and distributed
unequally among the 280 white marble posts. A pair of vividly carved
reclining stone elephants and a number of other animal figures guards
each end of the bridge.
On July 7, 1937, the first shot of the War of Resistance Against
Japan rang out beside the Lugou Bridge. But now all signs of the
war have long since disappeared. As the sun sets, the furnaces of
nearby Shijingshna Steel Works cast a red glow across the sky, lighting
up the bridge in fiery splendor. |
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