Wanping Fortress, also known as Wanping Castle (), is a

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

fortress or "walled city" in Fengtai District,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. It was erected in 1638–1640, with the purpose of defending Beijing against

Li Zicheng Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...

and the peasant uprising. From the beginning, it functioned as a military fortress. From west to east, it measures , and from south to the north , making it a half-square shape. The fortress has two gates: the east gate, named Ever Prosperous Gate (永昌門, ''Yongchangmen''), then renamed as Majestic Gate (威嚴門, ''Weiyanmen''), and the west gate, named Favorably Govern Gate (順治門, ''Shunzhimen''). Wanping witnessed the incident in July 1937 that is reckoned to mark the start of the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

, with an exchange of fire over a minor case of a Japanese soldier missing from his post. For reasons unknown, this escalated into full-scale combat. It is known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, and also the Lugou Bridge Incident. The

Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression The Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression () or Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall is a museum and memorial hall in Beijing. It is the most comprehensive museum in China about the Second Sino-Ja ...

, surrounded by a plaza and park with numerous sculptures, occupies a large portion of the space inside the fortress' walls. To the west of the fortress are the Yongding River and the

Lugou Bridge The Marco Polo Bridge or Lugou Bridge () is a stone bridge located 15 km southwest of Beijing's city center in the Fengtai District. It bridges the Yongding River, a major tributary of Hai River. Situated at the eastern end of the bridge ...

(Marco Polo Bridge, 蘆溝橋). It will be served by

Wanpingcheng station Wanpingcheng station () is a station under construction on Line 16 of the Beijing Subway. History Line 14 was supposed to come to Wanpingcheng area, but in 2008, the line was rerouted, so the residents of Wanpingcheng area signed a petition ...

of Beijing Subway Line 16. The metro station is under construction.

Gallery

File:Kangxi-Lugou-rebuilding-stele-3585.jpg, The west gate of the Wanping Fortress seen from a distance File:Wanping-Castle-south-wall-3514.jpg, The fortress walls were damaged by Japanese shells during the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. File:Lugou-bridge-lions-3620.jpg, The Wanping Fortress as seen from the

File:Wanping Castle 20121004.JPG, Wall of the west gate File:Wanping-castle-south-wall-3634.jpg, The walls of the fortress

References

External links

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TouchBeijing.com Wanping Fortress and Lugou Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge)
Buildings and structures in Fengtai District Tourist attractions in Beijing 17th-century establishments in China Forts in China {{China-struct-stub