Woke
up to the usual greyish morning in Beijing. Most Beijing
folks will be pretty excited and probably thinking of how
to spend the weekend. This does not apply to us. We were
going home. Damn.
Due to a day spent on bed
for all that fever; Lugou Qiao (a.k.a. Marco Polo Bridge)
was scheduled as the last highlight of Beijing. And precisely
because it was the LAST, it left me with the most impressions.
Coincidentally, the date
of visit was 7 Jul 06, EXACTLY 69 years after the fateful
day where the bridge got its spot in all history books
(that may exclude Japanese prints): Qiqi Shibian (7 Jul
incident, a.k.a. the Marco Polo Bridge Incident). In short,
it was where the Sino-Japanese war started, where the
first shot was fired (read all about it here).
I really don't want to sound all patriotic or subjective
here. Enough said.
From our hotel, it took us
an hour and 2 buses (bus services 6 and 339, RMB2/trip)
to reach the outskirts of Beijing. As the bus stopped
by the "Memorial Hall of the War of Resistance Against
Japan", we walked around the area blindly, looking
for the Bridge. A guy came up and asked us for direction.
We were as lost as chicks looking for our mother hen.
He told us that he was working in Beijing and heard that
there was free admission to the historical locations due
to the special day. I was ashamed: the self-proclaimed
history buff didn't realise that it was a special day.
We finally found the place after walking for 15 minutes.
But then again, it was plain
coincidence to be here and that left an extra memory stamp
for the trip. It was important to be here. Just felt simply
grateful.
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A scene
from the Confucius Temple/Imperial College. Like what LP
said, it badly needs a refurnish. |
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Just
one of the thousand wishes that people made. The subject
making the wish sounds like she had alot of things on her
mind. Most of us have alot of things on our mindes. They
usually dont say it out loud... |
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A conductor
at work on a bus (RMB1/trip) in Beijing. She stands in the
middle of the bus and announces the names of every bus stop.
She also makes sure everybody pays for the ride. |
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Wanping
Town: this was the town that first got into the heat of
the Sino-Japanese war. Groups of students are seen walking
towards Lugou Bridge for their summer holiday visit.
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Finally,
we are here in Lugou Qiao (a.k.a. Marco Polo Bridge)! Fairly
crowded with visitors though it was already in the later
afternoon. Admission tickets cost RMB20/person and it includes
an entry into the bridge and a couple of small monuments
along the area. |
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I simply
cannot resist taking a touristy shot of myself when I am
there. |
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One of
the 485 stone lions lined along the bridge. Someone had
apparently not forgotten what had happened 69 years ago:
there were flower, food and wine (it has to be the classic
3-penis variety) offerings in the middle of the river. It
is dry because the water has been channelled away. |
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Me in
my signature shot at Lugou Bridge. No one was interested
though. |
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The sign
on the wall: denotes the location where IT all started,
The cavity into the wall: denotes the remains where Japanese
shells rained China,
The words besides the wall: denotes the pain and suffering
of the war. |
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Back to
Beijing, along Nanxinhua Lu. A young lady (with polio) was
seeking donations by writing perfect Chinese characters
on the pavement. Pedestrians were just standing by and looking
with amazement. Someone asked her if she knows calligraphy.
She simply smiled and shook her head, and went back to her
writing quietly. |
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