Wanping Town

Wanping Town

Wanping Town is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a classic red tourism destination, and a patriotic education base.

Wanping has long been the southern gateway to Beijing since ancient times. The town was built in the tenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor’s reign during the late Ming Dynasty (1637), a period marked by warfare and unrest. It was constructed to station troops and defend the capital. The *Old Accounts of Scenic Spots in the Imperial Capital* recorded: “Lugou is the strategic throat of the capital region; it is essential to deploy troops for defense and also necessary to build a town to protect them.” “Though compact in layout, the towering walls stand solemnly like a mighty pass.” During the Ming Dynasty, it was called “Gongji” Town; in the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed “Gongbei” Town. It was not then known as Wanping—Wanping County’s administrative office was located near the Drum Tower inside Beijing. After the Xinhai Revolution, Wanping County was placed under Hebei Province, and the county government was officially relocated here. Just nine years after the move, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident broke out on this very site. Because Wanping was originally built for military purposes, although small in size, its layout and structure differed from those of typical county towns. There were no conventional streets, alleys, markets, or bell and drum towers found in ordinary counties. The entire town had only two gates, east and west, both equipped with barbicans and gate towers. The city walls were relatively thick and sturdy, primarily designed to help defend the capital.

Wanping Town suffered little damage during the Ming and Qing dynasties but became a place of frequent turmoil in the Republican era. On the evening of July 7, 1937, Japanese invading forces conducted provocative military exercises near the Lugou Bridge and fired their guns wantonly. That night, the Japanese troops unjustly protested to the defending 29th Army, falsely claiming that Chinese forces had opened fire from inside Wanping Town and alleging that a Japanese soldier was missing. They demanded to search the town, but their request was firmly rejected by the 29th Army guarding the bridge. The Japanese then bombarded Wanping Town with artillery and machine guns, sparking fierce fighting in which the Japanese forces suffered heavy casualties.

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident marked the beginning of the Chinese people’s war of resistance and self-defense, as well as the starting point of the anti-fascist struggle in the East and the Pacific region. Beside Wanping Town and along the Lugou Bridge, brave sons and daughters of the Chinese nation and patriotic soldiers fought valiantly to defend their homeland. Many martyrs gave their lives. To this day, the tomb of General Zhao Dengyu, an anti-Japanese hero, still stands on nearby Dazao Mountain. Visiting these martyrs’ graves today inspires deep reverence.

The world-renowned Lugou Bridge lies southeast of Wanping Town. This ancient bridge, built during the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty, is not only a witness to China’s fight against aggression but also one of the three great bridges that historically guarded Beijing (Lugou Bridge in the south, Yongtong Bridge in the east, and Chaozong Bridge in the north). Its architectural structure and artistry are also rare in the history of world bridges. No wonder the globally famed traveler Marco Polo, who served in China for over 20 years, described Lugou Bridge as “the best and most unique bridge in the world.”

“Morning Moon over Lugou” is one of the famous “Eight Views of Yanjing,” originating in the Jin Dynasty. This evocative scene comes together through the distant mountains, nearby water, the morning moon, and the stone bridge forming a harmonious whole. This pictorial beauty also inspired poetic lines:

“The river whispers with the moon’s flow, the night watch fades;

West Hills loom faint through mist, so close yet far.

Faint trees blur ‘neath hazy clouds, stars sparse above,

Dawn chill seeps through as few cold stars shine from above.”

These are fine verses left by a poet of the Ming Dynasty.

Lugou Bridge was also a traditional place for farewells in ancient times, akin to Baqiao in Xi’an. Hence, the poetic line: “Willows by Lugou at sunset, bidding farewell to those leaving the capital time and again.” Upon revisiting Wanping, seeing this ancient bridge—which is now preserved as a historical cultural relic and no longer open to traffic—one notes Beijing’s plan to restore Wanping Town to its original Ming and Qing appearance, with work currently underway. Regrettably, the Yongding River beneath Lugou Bridge has dried up, leaving the riverbed covered in green grass but transformed into barren land. It no longer reflects the poetic imagery of the “Morning Moon over Lugou” as it once did.