Lugouqiao area, as far back as the Warring States period, was the traffic fortress of Yanji. Hundreds of years before the Tang Dynasty, people traveled along the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain to the North China Plain, passing through the rugged Lugou Gudu. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, in view of the increasingly important geographical position, small bridges and pontoons were built. "A trip to Xuanhe Yisi" contains: "When crossing the Lugou River, the water is extremely turbulent. Every time the Yan people wait for the water to be shallow and deep, they set up a small bridge to cross it. It's normal to be old. In recent years, the water superintendent has built floating beams on both sides of this river. " It is not difficult to see from this method of building a small wooden bridge in dry season, building a pontoon bridge in rainy season or crossing the river by boat: Lugou Bridge in Tang and Song Dynasties is still in the transitional stage from ferry to permanent bridge. Since then, the traffic from Yanji area to the North China Plain and all parts of the south has become increasingly developed, especially after the capital of Jinling Wangliang Dingdu (1 153). In order to strengthen the rule of North China, the position of Lugouqiao area has become more important. In order to meet the needs of traffic development, it is urgent to transform the Lugou Bridge.
After several years of preparation, Jin Shizong issued a decree in May of the 28th year of Dading (1 188) to build a stone bridge on the Lugou River. A few days later, Sejong died, and his successor, Jin Zhangzong, in June of the 29th year of Dading (1 189), made a decree to build ships and even ordered to build stone bridges. In the third year of Ming Chang (1 192), it was completed in March and named Guangli. But people are still used to the Lugou Bridge, because there is a river.
Lugou Bridge is a multi-arch stone bridge, consisting of 1 1 unequal span circular arches, with a total length of 266.5 meters. It is the longest ancient stone arch bridge in northern China. The clear width of the bridge deck is 7.5 meters. Including railings and facing stones picking out the bridge deck, the outermost side is 9.3 meters wide, and the middle of the bridge deck is slightly raised. According to the actual measurement, its uplift height is 93.5 cm, which is about eight thousandths of a slope to facilitate drainage. The bridge deck with wild goose wings at both ends of the bridge is trumpet-shaped. The entrance is 32 meters wide and 28.2 meters long. There are many unique features in the engineering structure of Lugou Bridge, which is a model of stone arch bridge in the north.
Lugou River, which is crossed by Lugou Bridge, has been seriously flooded since ancient times, with frequent floods, uncertain river migration and frozen in late autumn and early winter in dry season. In late spring and early summer, there is a danger of ice flow; In summer and autumn, the river surges. Tang Shiyun: "Poor bones by the Wuding River, you are still a dream girl." Therefore, Lugou River is also called Wuding River. To build a bridge on such a burst river, the foundation must be solid. Therefore, the craftsmen who built the bridge adopted the "home inspection method" to reduce the settlement of the bridge foundation. That is, short piles are driven to bear the bridge foundation on the pebbles and yellow sand accumulation layer several meters thick. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, technicians measured the pier 10 with theodolite, and found that the maximum error was only 12 cm, and the foundation was very good.
For hundreds of years, the story of "dragon-cutting knife" on Lugou Bridge has been circulated among the people in northern China. It is said that one day, it suddenly got dark, dark clouds rolled, thunder and lightning, and it rained cats and dogs. In the storm, people saw 10 fierce dragons, surrounded by floods, rushing towards Lugou Bridge in an avalanche. People's hearts hung in their throats, fearing that the bridge would be destroyed and flooded, but the dragon swam under the bridge and suddenly disappeared, and the flood tamed through bridge opening. From then on. The saying that there is a dragon sword cut off on the Lugou Bridge has spread.
In fact, there is no evil of dragons, just frequent floods. According to records, during the 750 years from the Jin Dynasty to liberation, the Lugou River burst 100 times, which also included the security and stability maintained by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty for more than 200 years. Especially in March and April of the lunar calendar every year, the muddy river is mixed with a lot of ice floes and pours down from the upper reaches, such as ten thousand, but the Lugou Bridge is always safe and sound. One of its secrets is that it has several special piers. Lugou Bridge has 1 1 holes, and there are 10 piers besides the diamond walls on both sides. The pier spacing varies from 16 m to 2 1 m, and gradually increases from both ends of the bridge to the middle, like a plane ship. The width of the pier varies from 6.5 meters to 7.9 meters, which is about half of the bridge span. In front of the pier, there are diversion tips ranging in length from 4.5 meters to 5.2 meters, accounting for four-tenths of the whole pier, and the diversion tips are 5 meters wide. On each diversion tip, a triangular iron column with a side length of 26 cm is placed vertically. It hits the ice in spring and kills the water with its acute angle in summer. This is the so-called "dragon sword". Today, the ice-breaking equipment at the Alaska dock in the United States remains the same. In order to make the diversion tip more stable, six layers of face-pressing stones with a thickness of 1.83 m were added to the Phoenix Terrace of the diversion tip. In order to ensure that the arch foot is not damaged by flowing ice, a streamlined transition is made between the arch foot, the arch stone and the diversion tip of the pier below the flowing ice water level. The pier stone is along the water surface, and it is streamlined inward after leaving the coupon hole, like the stern, so that the water will quickly disperse as soon as it leaves the coupon hole, so as to reduce the pressure of the water flow in the coupon hole. This kind of pier with special shape is the technical expression of China ancient bridge builders' adaptation to the river. Therefore, for more than 800 years, the Renlugou River has been flooded in midsummer, turbulent and fierce, and ice flows in spring, but the Lugou ancient bridge is rock solid. It's really Yongding Bridge on the Wuding River.
Lugou Bridge Shishi Lugou Bridge has a span of 1 1 arch coupon, which gradually increases from both sides of the bridge to the center of the bridge. The span of the outermost hole on the west side is12.35m, and the span of the central hole is increased to13.42m.. Arch coupons are arc arches, which are relatively flat and rare in multi-arch stone bridges. The arch of the bridge adopts longitudinal masonry method, which makes the whole arch piece become a whole. On both sides of the coupon, there is a separate coupon face stone. In order to prevent the coupon face stone from collapsing outward, each arch is made of eight long stones and coupon face stones, which are similar to the frame-type longitudinal arrangement. Spread a layer of pumice with a thickness of 15cm on the arch back of the coupon stone, and pick out the coupon stone with a thickness of 15cm. Waist iron and iron pieces are used between the arch coupon and the stones at various parts of the pier to enhance the tension between the masonry. In the fifty years of Qianlong (1785), when the bridge deck was repaired and demolished, we also saw the internal structure of "masonry, as solid as iron and as hard as Moby", which greatly amazed the Qianlong emperor and described it in detail in his inscription: "I am thinking that the surging waves are unstoppable because the bridge has been moving for hundreds of years." Unless the ancients had a good heart and built a solid foundation, the bridge could not have survived to this day. However, we can't know the essence of the ancients' intentions unless we look at it from the outside. The fineness of employment is equally urgent. "1973 period, cultural relics protection, transportation, infrastructure, municipal design and other departments. In 2000, Beijing cooperated in the scientific experiment of the ancient bridge load, and obtained a lot of data. When the bridge was finally loaded to 429 tons, the instantaneous maximum deflection of the bridge hole was 0.42 mm for the second hole, 0.52 mm for the fifth hole and 0.49 mm for the sixth hole (the original works of Jin Dynasty, with the largest span). All holes of the whole bridge are in normal working condition. When tractors and 400-ton flatbed cars successfully passed through this ancient bridge, people marveled at its "firmness Moby".
The deck of Lugou Bridge is divided into two parts: river deck and wild goose wing deck. The bridge deck of the river body is 213.15m long. As mentioned above, its slope is eight thousandths, and its potential is relatively slow. The slope of the bridge deck with wild goose wings is relatively large, which is 35 thousandths. The bridge deck is divided into three layers: pumice and bridge deck stones. On the outside of Tian Yang Stone, there is a simple curly leaf cloud. Only a small part of the east was prepared by Kangxi, and the rest were original objects of the Jin Dynasty. On the wing deck, there is an inscription on the bridge built during the reign of Kanggan in Qing Dynasty. The tablet "Lugou Xiaoyue" and the tablet "Notes on Crossing Lugou Bridge" inscribed by Emperor Qianlong are beautifully carved. There are 28 1 watchtowers on both sides of the bridge, of which 140 is in the south, 14 1 in the north, and the height of the watchtower is1.4m. The back of the lotus is engraved with a stigma and the seat is engraved with a lion. There are 279 fence boards between the guard posts, including south bridge 139 and north bridge 140, with an average height of 85cm and a length ranging from 1.9m to1.3m. The cross section is trapezoidal, with the top thickness of 20-25 cm and the bottom thickness. The architectural structure of Lugou Bridge, such as span, watchtower and fence, is contrary to the so-called beauty of China traditional architectural technology. The reason may be that due to the limitation of building materials at that time, craftsmen made some changes without affecting the overall layout, which shows that they had good intentions.
At the end of the railing at the eastern end of the bridge, there is a stone lion on each side, 90 cm high and 173 cm long. Both of them support the easternmost sentry post with their heads. At the end of the railing in the west of the bridge, two rolled noses leaned against their feet, completely leaning against the stone statue at the end of the observation post. The role of lions and elephants here is to hold the drum stones so that the railings will not tilt outward. There are a pair of stone watches at each end of the bridge, which are similar to those in front of Tiananmen Square, but slightly different in carving and decoration. China is 465 cm high, with a Sumerian stone pedestal at the bottom and octagonal stone pillars on the pedestal. The upper end of the stone pillar spans the cloud disk, and there is a lotus disk at the top of the column, with beads in the middle of the lotus petals and a stone lion on the disk.
Stone lions are the most precious works of art on Lugou Bridge. "Si Ji" contains: "There are stone fences and carved stone lions on both sides of the bridge, which are ingenious in shape." Looking at the stone lions on the stigma, they have different postures and try their best to change. Some look up at the sky with their heads held high; Some pay close attention to the bridge deck; Some sideways, facing each other, as if talking; Some lowered their heads, lowered their eyes, and grabbed their cubs with their claws, as if they were calling softly; Some ears stood upright and held their breath, as if listening to the murmur of running water under the bridge. These stone lions are divided into males and females. Most females are stroking their cubs, while males are playing with hydrangeas. The cubs on the big lion, ranging from a few centimeters to 10 centimeters, are also very vivid. In twos and threes, some of them crawl under the lion, some crouch on the lion's back and head, some play in the lion's arms, some tease the lion's bell or hydrangea on the ribbon, and some hide in the lion's stomach and armpit, revealing only half a head or a mouth. It's really varied and vivid. Because they are looming, charming and numerous, it is not easy to find and count them without careful observation. Therefore, there is a two-part allegorical saying of "Lions of Lugouqiao-countless", even in ancient books. For example, in the Ming Dynasty, Jiang Yikui uploaded it in Chang 'an Hakka dialect: Lugou Bridge "The left and right stone railings are carved into lion shapes. If there are one hundred, you can hide one." In the Ming Dynasty, Dong Liu's "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" also said: "There are countless things." Legend has it that if you really count them, all the lions will run away. Are there really countless lions on Lugou Bridge?
After liberation, the relevant departments in Beijing adopted the method of numbering and counting. It was found that there were 485 lions on the bridge, including 28 1 big lion on the watchtower, 198 little lion on the big lion, 2 big lions on the top railing as drum stones, and 4 lions on the fancy table. 1979, another big lion was found near the central pier of the river, and the number of small lions was 2 14. In this way, the total number of lions on Lugou Bridge should be 502. These lions can be divided into four categories according to their carving styles: a few lions with slender bodies, narrow faces and powerful legs and feet are primitive artifacts in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties; Short figure, hydrangea or lion cub, severe weathering, supplemented in Ming Dynasty; Exquisite carving, prominent chest and high curly hair on the head were added by Kangxi Qianlong and later in the Qing Dynasty. The sculptures with relatively new appearance are relatively rough, which may have been restored from the late Qing Dynasty to the eve of liberation.
The magnificent Lugou Bridge has aroused the reverie of countless China literati for hundreds of years, leaving many touching poems and pictures. In the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Ye and Lu Gen described the magnificence of the Lugou Bridge with words such as "Manjianghong", "Poems of Lugou Bridge", "Lying on the rainbow in thousands of feet" and "Flying clouds in the north of the Black Dragon". "Lugou Bridge is the best in the world, just like the capital running" and "Lugou Bridge has many chariots and horses in the west. Poems such as "the sunshine is white on the mountain and the waves are clear" and "the traffic under the bridge is long and the bridge is crowded with passengers" vividly describe the tourist scenery of Lugou Bridge. The ancient Lugou Bridge is also a tearful farewell place in Beijing. Zhao Bingwen, a gold man, wrote a poem like "Willow at sunset in Lugougou, sending people out of Beijing several times", which can't express the farewell feeling of an old friend. Around the "Lugou Xiaoyue", one of the "Eight Scenes of Yanjing", there are more poems and poems by literati and poets. In ancient times, there were many animated pictures with the theme of Lugou Bridge. For example, Wang Bi's famous painting "Lugou Xiaoyue" in Ming Dynasty, and Xu Wei also painted Lugou Bridge. Among several paintings of Lugou Bridge, the raft map of Lugou Bridge in Yuan Dynasty, which is now in the Museum of Chinese History, has the highest value. The picture is centered on Lugou Bridge, where rafts are woven to download goods, and there are endless recreational facilities on the bridge. Officers with fresh clothes and angry horses hurried to mount their horses, and there were many guest houses at the bridge head, and the wine was swaying tall and bustling. The bridge itself is more vivid. The archway, watch, railing and stone lion of 1 1 are very similar to those of today's Lugou Bridge, especially at both ends of the bridge.
Lugou Bridge is not only a traffic artery, but also a battleground for military strategists. In the hundreds of years after its completion, Lugou Bridge became a battlefield several times. For example, in the third year of Daan (12 1 1), Jin people fought Genghis Khan (Temujin) in Lugouqiao for four years. In the first year of Yuan Dynasty (1328), the kings of Shangdu suddenly stabbed people in Zijin Pass and marched into Lugou Bridge, which was defeated by Yan Timur. When the Ming Dynasty was under construction, the prince of Yan was in trouble when he dispatched troops. The emperor sent someone to "Li Jinglong conspired to attack Beiping, and Yan would please guard the Lugou Bridge". At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Lugou Bridge became a battlefield again. 1922, two factions of warlords fought hand-to-hand in Lugouqiao for five days and nights. Although this ancient bridge has been defeated many times, it still sticks to the gateway of Beijing and Tianjin.
1937, in order to annex China, Japanese imperialism planned and created the Lugouqiao Incident, which shocked China and foreign countries, and launched a full-scale war of aggression against China. Since June this year, the Japanese aggressor troops have held provocative military exercises near the ancient city of Wanping in the southwest of Beiping (now Beijing). On July 7th, the Japanese army asked for a search in the ancient city of Wanping on the pretext that a soldier was missing, but it was rejected by the China garrison. The Japanese shelled Wanping Ancient City and Lugou Bridge. The officers and men of the 37th Division of the 29th Army stationed in Wanping, under the impetus of the anti-Japanese national salvation movement led by China's * * * production party, rose up and rebelled, which started the prelude of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The Lugouqiao Incident thus became a turning point in the history of the rise and fall of the Chinese nation. Today, the bullet marks on the bridge head of Lugou Bridge and the thief wall of Wanping still accuse people of the heinous crimes against Japanese militarism, eulogizing the Chinese nation's spirit of fighting bravely and not fearing strong enemies.