The Marco Polo Bridge on the Yongding River was built between 1189 and 1192 AD. The bridge is 265 meters long and consists of 11 semicircular stone arches. The length of each stone arch varies from 16 meters to 21.6 meters. The bridge is about 8 meters wide and the road surface is flat, almost parallel to the river. There are stone piers between every two stone arches, connecting the 11 stone arches into a whole. Because the arches are connected, this kind of bridge is called a combined-arch stone bridge.
What is extremely regrettable is that neither the designer nor the builder left a name. The stone bridge was built in the 29th year of Dading of Jin Zhangzong (1189), and it was completed in March of the third year of Jin Mingchang (1192). The order was called Guangli.
The Marco Polo Bridge was decided to be built in May of the 28th year of Dading (1188), the reign of Jin Shizong. However, before construction started, Jin Shizong died of illness at the beginning of the second year. In June 1189, Jin Zhangzong began to build Lugou Bridge, which was completed three years later. Because the bridge spans the Lugou Bridge, people call it Lugou Bridge. As early as the Warring States Period, the area around the Lugou River Ferry was already a transportation hub for Yanji and a battleground for military strategists. It turns out that only the floating bridge connects them. After the Jin Dynasty established its capital in Yanjing (today's west of Xuanwu District, Beijing) in 1153, this floating bridge became the only way for southern provinces to enter Beijing and an important gateway to Yanjing. With busy traffic and pedestrians, the original pontoon bridge can obviously no longer meet the political, military, economic and transportation needs of the capital. Emperor Shizong of the Jin Dynasty issued an edict to build the bridge. The construction of Marco Polo Bridge started in June 1189 and was completed in March of the third year of Mingchang (1192). There are 140 pillars on both sides of the stone guardrails, and stone lions are carved on the pillar heads in different shapes. According to records, there were 627 original ones and 501 are now there. Most of the stone lions are from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and there are also a small number of gold and yuan remains. "Lugou Xiaoyue" has been listed as one of the "Eight Scenic Spots of Yanjing" since the reign of Emperor Zhangzong of Jin Dynasty.
Wan Yanliang, the fourth emperor of the Jin Dynasty, moved the capital from Shangjing Huiningfu (near Acheng City, southeast of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province) to Jinzhongdu in 1153. One of his motives was for convenience. He ruled nearby the territory of the Central Plains north of the Huaihe River that had been captured from the Song Dynasty since 1127.
To go south from Jinzhongdu to the Central Plains, you must pass through Daoliangxiang and Zhuozhou, and then enter the north-south highway that leans to the east of the Taihang Mountains in the west and runs through the North China Plain. However, when leaving Zhongdu City, the first big river encountered is the Yongding River, which originates in the northwest of Shanxi Province, passes through the Taihang Mountains, and flows through the southwest suburbs of today's Beijing area. Yongding River, known as "Sanggan River" in ancient times, is also called "Hun River" and "Little Yellow River" because it flows through the Loess Plateau. There is no fixed river." In the Jin Dynasty, it was called "Lugou River". "Lu" means black and is named after the turbid and dark color of the river water. In the 37th year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1698), after the channel and embankment of the Lugou River were renovated, it was renamed "Yongding River", and this name is still used today.
Before the Marco Polo Bridge was built, the site was an ancient ferry. "Da Jin Guo Zhi" said, "Thirty miles away from Liangxiang, across the Lugou River, the water is extremely turbulent. Whenever the water is shallow, the Yan people build small bridges to cross it, and they take it for granted. In recent years, the water conservatorship (equivalent to the Water Conservancy Bureau) ) often build floating bridges on both sides of the river. "The modern Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and Beijing-Shijiazhuang Expressway also cross the river southward from here.
By 1189, the Jin Kingdom had established its capital in Zhongdu for 37 years. The country reached its heyday, and its political, military, and economic ties with the Central Plains became increasingly close. The original ferries, pontoons, and seasons on the Lugou River River crossing methods such as Xingmu Bridge can no longer meet transportation needs. In this year, Jin Zhangzong, the sixth emperor of the Jin Dynasty, ordered to build a large stone bridge over the Marco Polo River. The stone bridge was built in 1192 and named "Guangli Bridge" by Jin Zhangzong. However, people have always called this bridge "Lugou Bridge" because of the Marco Polo River.