Lugou Bridge Incident/Marco Polo Bridge Incident
1937
Records in Chinese
THE INCIDENT
The Lugou Bridge Incident (卢沟桥事变, also known as the Double-Seven Incident and the Marco Polo Bridge Incident) was the start of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (抗日战争, also known as the Second Sino-Japanese War).
On July 7, 1937, Japanese soldiers were drilling near the Lugou bridge. Using the excuse that one soldier has gone missing, the Japanese requested to go into the nearby city of Wanping (宛平城, located in what is now Beijing’s Fengtai district) to search. After being refused, the Japanese started bombing the city, and the stationed Chinese 29th Route Army resisted. Jiang Jieshi/Chiang Kai-shek of the Nationalist government also stated that the Lugou Bridge must be held.
By July 9, the Chinese and the Japanese reached a ceasefire agreement. The Japanese army would retreat to the left bank of the Yongding River and the Chinese army would retreat to the right bank, and Lugou Bridge would be given to the Japanese. While the Chinese army retreated the next day, the Japanese army started attacking again.
AFTERMATHS
The Nationalist government again conceded, agreeing to disband local groups that protest against Japanese occupation and also promised to not station any Chinese army east of the Yongding River. However, Japanese bombing continued. By the middle of July, the Nationalist government clearly expressed its intention to resist invasion, and this marked the start of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Records in English
THE INCIDENT
On July 7, 1937, the Japanese army asked to search for a soldier in the city of Wanping. The Chinese refused the search request but conceded that one Japanese officer could accompany a Chinese search team to look for the soldier. The Japanese decided to force its way into Wanping, and the fighting began.
AFTERMATHS
Some sources state that there were attempts for ceasefire, but Japanese war-hawks decided to launch a full attack on China anyway. Other sources state that both sides refused to make concessions due to pressure at home, and the conflict eventually grew into the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Analysis on Differences
The attitude of the Chinese Nationalist government can be hard to track. English sources contradict each other in whether the Nationalist government wanted to concede on the Lugou Bridge Incident, and Chinese sources suggest changes in attitude (from resistance to concession and back to resistance). The shifts in attitude are more probable because of the evidence present.
Jiang’s original intent to not relent can be proven by his telegram to the 29th Route Army to resist on July 8th. His lean towards concession may be the result of the competing sects of anti-war and anti-Japanese invasion sects within the Nationalist government. Jiang’s eventual return resistance is clearly conveyed through his Lushan Declaration in mid-July. Thus, it is more probable that the Nationalist government’s attitude towards Japanese invasion shifted in the few days after the Lugou Bridge Incident.