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		<TITLE>Marco Polo Bridge History of Lugou Qiao (Lugouqiao) 卢沟桥的历史 卢沟桥的历史</TITLE>
		

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					<td bgcolor="black"><A href="067_Lugouqiao.html"><IMG src="../images/Lugouqiao6947w.jpg" height="600" width="794" border=0 alt="Marco Polo Bridge memorial of Qing Emperor Kangxi"></a></td>

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			<h1><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Lugou Qiao - Marco Polo Bridge<br>				</font><font size="+1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">卢沟桥的历史</font></h1>
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							<td><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Through history the bridge has had many major and minor repairs. The original lions were identical and quite simple. Over the years they have been replaced by different artists under different dynasties. In 1444, during the era of the Ming Emperor Zhengtong </font><font size="+1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">正統</font><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> major repairs were made to the bridge. </font>
								<p><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">During the reign (1661 to 1722) of Qing Emperor Kangxi </font><font size="+1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">康熙</font><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> (Kāngxī, 1654 – 1722) ) a major flood washed away two of the arches of the Marco Polo Bridge in 1689. Not only was the bridge rebuilt, but the river banks were lined to reinforce them and help prevent erosion and the tendency for the river to change course. It was on that occasion that the Lugou River was renamed the Yongding River (永定河, Eternal Stability), in the hope that the waters would calm down.   A stele commemorating that rebuilding stands on the west end of the Marco Polo Bridge.</font></p>
								<p><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The memorial shown here, is a stone tablet on the back of a bixi </font><font size="+1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">赑屃</font><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> (bìxì), a stone turtle. According to its plaque, it was erected in 1668. It was erected to commemorate an earlier repair and restoration of the bridge during the Kangxi era. Periodic repairs are necessary for any bridge as heavily used as this one was.</font></p>
								<p><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Certainly the Kangxi Emperor had time for multiple restoration projects, his was the longest reign of any Chinese emperor: 61 years. Beijing flourished under his reign. He was a great supporter of both scholarship and science. The <em>Kangxi Dictionary</em> was compiled under his command.  It serves as a standard reference to the history and development of the Chinese language. His interest in astronomy led him to commission several new <a href="http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/astronomy/tianpage/0029Verbiest9284crw.html" target="_blank">astronomical instruments</a> from Ferdinand Verbiest in 1673.  He started the construction of Yuanming Yuan </font><font size="+1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">圆明园</font><font size="-1" color="white" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> (Yuánmíng Yuán), the Old Summer Palace in 1707. He even engaged Jesuits Giuseppe Castiglione and Michel Benoist, to design a small part of it. He supported innovation and learning in all quarters, often challenging the traditional scholars in imperial service.  It was an enormous building initiative, encompassing at least eight times the area of the Forbidden City and many more buildings.</font></p>
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