Marco Polo Bridge, or Lugou Qiao (Reed Ditch Bridge) as it is known in Chinese, is located in Fengtai District, asbout 15km from Beijing and spans the Yongding River.

The bridge was originally built in 1192, though was reconstructed in 1698.  Calligraphy on the ornamental pillars at either end of the bridge comes from Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1910).  There are stone lions dating from various dynasties on the top of each pillar.  Each lion is different and many also hide other lions under their paws or elsewhere.  Also worth visiting is the Wanping Fortress, erected during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in order to the bridge from a peasant uprising.

The bridge is well know for a visit by Marco Polo in the 13th century who wrote that was one of the finest bridges in the world.  It is also famous as being the place where the first shots of World War 2 were fired in what is now known as the Marco Polo Incident.  The nearby Memorial Hall of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression covers this event and the subsequent war in detail.

Tour Including Marco Polo Bridge;
Tour to Zhoukoudian(Peking man site), Lugou(Marco polo) Bridge, Stone Flower

For photos of Marco Polo Bridge, click here!