It Was The Scene Of A Notable Mutiny
Of The Troops Of The Kin Dynasty In 1215, Which Induced Chinghiz To Break
A Treaty Just Concluded, And Led To His Capture Of Peking.
This bridge was begun, according to Klaproth, in 1189, and was five years
a-building.
On the 17th August, 1688, as Magaillans tells us, a great flood
carried away two arches of the bridge, and the remainder soon fell. [Father
Intorcetta, quoted by Bretschneider (Peking, p. 53), gives the 25th of
July, 1668, as the date of the destruction of the bridge, which agrees well
with the Chinese accounts. - H.C.] The bridge was renewed, but with only
nine arches instead of thirteen, as appears from the following note of
personal observation with which Dr. Lockhart has favoured me:
"At 27 li from Peking, by the western road leaving the gate of the
Chinese city called Kwang-'an-man, after passing the old walled town of
Feuchen, you reach the bridge of Lo-Ku-Kiao. As it now stands it is a
very long bridge of nine arches (real arches) spanning the valley of the
Hwan Ho, and surrounded by beautiful scenery. The bridge is built of green
sandstone, and has a good balustrade with short square pilasters crowned by
small lions. It is in very good repair, and has a ceaseless traffic, being
on the road to the coal-mines which supply the city. There is a pavilion at
each end of the bridge with inscriptions, the one recording that K'anghi
(1662-1723) built the bridge, and the other that Kienlung (1736-1796)
repaired it." These circumstances are strictly consistent with
Magaillans' account of the destruction of the mediaeval bridge.
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