Wanping Fortress
People's Republic of China · Asia
About
Wanping Fortress, also known as Wanping Castle (pinyin: Wǎnpíng Chéng), is a Ming Dynasty fortress or "walled city" in Fengtai District, Beijing. It was erected in 1638–1640, with the purpose of defending Beijing against Li Zicheng and the peasant uprising.
From the beginning, it functioned as a military fortress. From west to east, it measures 640 meters (2; 100 ft), and from south to the north 320 meters (1; 050 ft), making it a half-square shape.
The fortress has two gates: the east gate, named Ever Prosperous Gate (Yongchangmen), then renamed as Majestic Gate (Weiyanmen), and the west gate, named Favorably Govern Gate (Shunzhimen).
Wanping witnessed the incident in July 1937 that is reckoned to mark the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, 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, surrounded by a plaza and park with numerous sculptures, occupies a large portion of the space inside the fortress' walls.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.