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History of Marco Polo Bridge

Marco Polo Index | History | Architecture

Originally it was built in 1193, during the Jin Dynasty, and was reconstructed several times in the following dynasties.

It has its name because Marco Polo described it in his Travels. Logou Bridge is well-known not only for its long-standing, magnificence and sturdiness, but also due to its being a commemorate place in the Chinese people' war against Japanese aggression. It was right here on July 7th, 1937, the Japanese imperialists launched the war of aggression and were dealt with a head-on blow by Chinese patriotic army-men and people. The incident was the prelude to the Resistance War against Japanese Aggression. Up to now, the city walls of the nearby Wanpin County, riddled with bullets fired by the Japanese aggressors, still stand there, as a witness to the history.

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, to the extraordinarily durable construction of the bridge's foundation; the endless battering of the torrential current has left no mark on it.