Former Site of Wanping County Government (Lugou Bridge)

Former Site of Wanping County Government (Lugou Bridge)

In the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928), it was relocated to Gongji City at Lugou Bridge, and since then Gongji City became the seat of Wanping County government. During the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Wang Lengzhai, the magistrate of Wanping County, negotiated with representatives of the Japanese invading forces here. Most of the buildings of the county government were bombed by the Japanese army, leaving only three main rooms. In 1986, the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall was built on the former site.

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident, also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident, occurred on July 7, 1937.

On the night of July 7, 1937, the Japanese troops stationed near Lugou Bridge held so-called military exercises near the positions of the Chinese garrison without notifying the local Chinese authorities. They falsely claimed that a Japanese soldier was missing and demanded to search Wanping County southwest of Beiping. Their demand was firmly rejected by the Chinese garrison, after which the Japanese troops immediately launched attacks on Wanping County and Lugou Bridge. The 219th Regiment of the 37th Division of the 29th Army of the Chinese garrison rose to counterattack and put up a tenacious resistance.

The "Marco Polo Bridge Incident" marked the beginning of the nationwide War of Resistance against Japan.

On the night of July 7, 1937, while conducting exercises near Lugou Bridge southwest of Beiping, the Japanese army used the excuse of a "missing" soldier to demand entry into Wanping County for a search. Their demand was sternly rejected by the Chinese defending forces of the 29th Army. The Japanese then opened fire on the Chinese troops and bombarded Wanping County. The 29th Army rose in resistance. This incident, which shocked the world, is known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident or the Lugou Bridge Incident. It marked the beginning of Japan’s full-scale invasion of China and the start of the Chinese nation’s comprehensive war of resistance.

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident indeed brought great suffering to the Chinese people, but at the same time, it awakened their sense of crisis. Faced with a formidable enemy, the long-slumbering Chinese nation finally awakened. The brutal war served as a lesson for the entire nation. People spontaneously united, forming a strong cohesion. From the coastal areas to the inland, from cities to rural villages, everyone worked hard for the survival of the nation. China formed a united front against Japan, something that had never existed before.

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident, an important battle in Japan’s invasion of China, is named after the date it occurred—July 7, 1937. Because it took place in Wanping County and at Lugou Bridge in what was then Beiping, it is also called the Lugou Bridge Incident. The incident escalated into fierce fighting when the Chinese 29th Army refused Japanese demands to enter Wanping County to search for the missing soldier. Tianjin and Wanping subsequently fell. Historically, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident has been defined as the beginning of Japan’s full-scale invasion of China and the start of the Chinese nation’s all-out war of resistance.

The Japanese troops opened fire toward the Lugou Bridge area and attacked the Chinese defenders stationed in the city. The 219th Regiment of the 37th Division of the 29th Army fought back. This marked the beginning of China’s full-scale War of Resistance against Japan. On the morning of July 8, the Japanese surrounded Wanping County and launched attacks on the Chinese forces at Lugou Bridge. The officers and soldiers of the 29th Army rose in resistance, inflicting heavy blows on the Japanese invaders. Regimental Commander Ji Xingwen personally went to the front line to command the battle. One soldier used a broadsword to kill or injure 13 Japanese soldiers in succession before sacrificing his own life heroically. A company stationed to the north of Lugou Bridge fought to the last, with only four soldiers surviving. By the early hours of July 9, the 29th Army had reclaimed the lost territory east of the Yongding River.

After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, China experienced many profound impacts. First, the outbreak of the incident led to a unified national resistance against Japan, a phenomenon unprecedented before. Faced with Japan’s wanton aggression, the Chinese people began collective resistance. Second, the incident inspired high morale among the people, laying the foundation for Japan’s eventual unconditional surrender. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the intensified aggression by Japanese imperialism not only threatened the lives of the general populace but also directly endangered the survival of the Chinese nation. The Nationalist Government of China completely abandoned any remaining illusions of peace with Japan, and Chiang Kai-shek responded positively to the Chinese Communist Party’s proposal to establish an anti-Japanese national united front.