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Marco Polo Bridge

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Brief Introduction
Marco Polo Bridge, also named as Lugou Bridge, which was built in the beginning of the time of Mingchang in Jin dynasty, cross over the Lugou River. It is not only the largest multi-arch bridge in the world, but also the symbol of Chinese Anti-Japanese War. Lugou Bridge is located on the outside of Guangan Gate, 15 kilometers southeast of Beijing City. So far it is the oldest preserved stone arch bridge in China. The Lugou Bridge is 266.5 meters long and 7.5 meters wide. The 485 finely carved lions tell the eventfulness of the Bridge silently.
The original stately and poetic Lugou Bridge now becomes a heavy reminder of the history. The Lugou Bridge is a scar more than a pride to the Chinese. Lugou Bridge was described by poets as a place where people would see off their beloved ones. The best time to visit it is at dawn, when a morning moon is hanging over the sky. This stone tablet with an inscription by the Qing Emperor, QianLong, reading "Morning Moon Over Lugou Bridge", stands at one end of the Bridge.

Marco Polo Bridge Incident
A Japanese soldier was reported missing near Beijing today 67 years ago. Rifle shots had been heard before, while his company was engaged in a field maneuver near Marco Polo Bridge. It was a routine exercise for the Japanese garrison in north China. Nobody knew who fired the shots. The Japanese wanted to search Wanping, but opened fire, while negotiations were still going on. The Chinese garrison troops returned fire in self-defense. Another Sino-Japanese war started.
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident marked the end of a Japanese empire started with the acquisition of Taiwan as a colony in 1895. The empire grew after Korea was annexed in 1915, Manchukuo founded with Emperor Henry PuYi set up as a puppet in 1934, and the Great East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere established in conquered Southeast and South Asia following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941. The empire was lost with Japans unconditional surrender to end the Second World War. The Japanese earned the lasting enmity of the Chinese, the Koreans and the peoples of all Southeast Asian countries in the process.

Construction
The construction of the stone bridge took up to three years from Jin Dading 29 years to MingChang three years (1192), named Guangli Bridge. Italian Marco Polo had praised the bridge a lot in his record of traveling.
The very design of Lugou Bridge is based on the characteristics of the YongDing River flowing water. Whitehead used all of the bridge deck, 21-2.2 meters in length, and plus the ends Approach, with a total length of 266.5 meters. 11 arches here, 750 meters broad and 279 pieces of the tailgate, 140-root carving holes left, right 141,1.4 meters high, the stigma of the lions were carved squat. Full-bridge structure and alleyways of the Arch use solid-solid lumbar Rail, to be used to enhance the connection between stones. Piers were boat-shaped, and were declining for tapping sharp characters, and is a pillar of every advanced placement through a triangle, to which could resist the spring floods and ice.
Stone lions are indifferent postures. Lions are divided into male and female, lioness plays with small lions, the female ones with the balls. Some big lions, many small lions carved on, and some youngest are only a few centimeters long, some are only disclosed swim, a mouth. Thus, for many years the "Marco Polo Bridge Lions countless". According to statistics, 281 lions on the great watching pillars, a small lions 211, a total of 492 lions on bridge. Eastbound end railings have withstood the lions, only one on each side. A Chinese Table on both ends of the bridge, ShiShou top of the table-one pairs (one pair of lions to the east, west for one pair of elephants). Total 496 lions, the two banks also have an inscription: A monument records the reign of Emperor KangXi in the Qing Dynasty 27 (1698) will come through rehabilitation. QianLong was another chapter written complaints are that the "character" words. Monument high 4.52 meters, a width of 1.27 meters and a thickness of 84 centimeters, which was regarded as one of the eight scenic wonders.

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