Four hundred and eighty five individually carved stone lions have watched Beijing’s southwest entrance for nearly 900 years. They inspired a legendary explorer to mention them in his writings and provided a backdrop to one of modern China’s most harrowing battles. These lions sit atop the balusters of Lugou Bridge also called the Marco Polo Bridge.
It is the longest ancient bridge in the Beijing prefecture outside the walls of Wanping village. Anciently, it was far outside the capitol. In recent years, expansion has surrounded it with a subway stop not too far away.
The bridge and village are known to westerners because Marco Polo was so entranced by the bridge that he made special mention of it in his memoirs. However, to most Chinese, this special little place is known for more recent events—the beginning of the full-scale war against Japanese aggression after years of occupation and maltreatment. There are still bullet holes in the stone wall surrounding Wanping reminding of the incident.
The Bridge
The bridge is simply that, a bridge. It is no longer a major thoroughfare over the river into Beijing; there are big modern bridges visible in both directions dwarfing this ancient stone crossing. In the 1960s, there were major renovations at the bridge. They widened it slightly and removed much of the original bridge deck since it was so rutted and very difficult for people to cross. Some of the rutted granite remains to show the historic surface. Most fascinating are the hundreds of hand-carved Chinese lions lining the railings. Each one is different and has its own character. Some are happy, others proud, some foolhardy, and others fierce.
Either end of the bridge has a stele on a bixi’s back. Elephants end the railings and ancient columns with lions on top mark the nine-arched structure. At the main entrance end there are also bronze sculptures and friezes telling the two historic stories of the bridge. We took the opportunity to join Marco Polo by riding a camel or horse with his caravan.
The Town
The town itself is nothing spectacular. Within the walls, not much is original even though the walls and gates are. The village itself has been turned into one of the all too familiar Chinese tourist attraction villages. At the center is a large plaza with a very Tiananmen Square feel just across the street from the museum detailing the War of Chinese People’s Resistance against Japanese Aggression. In Lonely Planet, this museum is described as propaganda heavy. I would agree.
The Museum
“I hate Japan!” As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I arrived in China on a day celebrating the 70th anniversary since the official surrender of Japan after WWII. During the next week in one of my classes, a student declared he hates Japan. I asked why, to which he responded they have done bad things to China. I tried to explain that it was more than 70 years ago, but the propaganda surrounding this event had been taught well and trained these kids, three generations removed from the events, to hate another nation and its people for no real reason.
After visiting the museum in Wanping, I see where this sentiment comes from. Though a bit heavy handed in its treatment of Japan, the museum really uses this common dislike to build sympathy and support for the Communist Party of China (CPC). At least that’s how I read it all. Honestly, the Chinese have every right to hate Japan or at least the imperial fascist Japan of 70 years ago. The decades of war and terrible war crimes committed can only be and should be compared to the Nazis in Europe. However, the current vein of hatred includes all Japanese today and forever as if all westerners were to hate Germany forever because of Hitler and his followers.
The museum tells the story of this war and fight against fascism. To the Chinese, World War II is simply the rest of the world waking up to the evilness of the fascists and coming together to beat them. Our war was simply a continuation of the war they had been fighting for more than ten years at that point. The last portion of the museum does teach a bit of this history in a different way than we are used to in the U.S. because of this different perspective. I appreciated looking at it in a new way.
The final exhibit room makes reconciliation and shows China accepting a renewed friendship with Japan over time. But, then it makes accusations that Japan won’t readily accept namely that Japan has dismissed in its history books and classes the destruction and atrocities committed to its neighbor. Though the whole museum is full of targeted messaging and what would be interpreted as propaganda it is palatable.
However, in the last room the final message is almost laughable. They say China is a peace-loving nation that abhors war, but yet they are constantly expanding their military and aggression towards its neighbors. Also, There is a big emphasis on the importance of remembering history (in a jab to Japan changing or ignoring it) to help us learn, honor, and not repeat. But yet, there are things in China’s own history that the government has hidden from its people. This stance is extremely hypocritical.
The museum is a very well put together museum. It tells an important story that the rest of the world is often oblivious to. The village is nothing spectacular but has some good food options. The best part of this adventure for me was the ancient lion-capped bridge. The artistry and history behind it is exquisite and worth time exploring.
Tips for getting there
First, check your subway map. Line 14 has two sections on opposite sides of the city that as of now do not connect. Make sure you get to the section in the southwest corner of the city.
Getting to the village and bridge is relatively easy; however, if you rely solely on the directions from your travel guide you may get a bit confused. In LP, they recommend exit A from the subway when exit D is much simpler as there is less street crossing needed. From exit D head straight and cross the main road where there is a bridge rising on the left and roundabout on the right. From here follow the road to the left, not up onto the highway bridge but on the lower road. You’ll eventually turn right onto Chengnei Jie. This road isn’t marked though, so you may want to ask a local where the village or bridge is. If you end up going under train tracks you’ve passed it. The entrance to the village is about a kilometer from the subway exit.
