Lugou Bridge (Lugouqiao) or "Marco Polo Bridge" as it's more popularly known, is situated in the southeast of Beijing, about 15km outside the city center. First built over 800 years ago in the Jin dynasty, the bridge is now the oldest in Beijing. Marco Polo made this magnificent structure famous when he wrote about it.

Two stone monuments stand at either side of the bridge, one details the repairs made on the site during the Qing dynasty and the other reads "Lugouxiaoyue". Literally translated, this means that the moon rises from Lugou Bridge. Chinese couples like to stand on the bridge at dusk and watch the sunset and the moon rise from this beautiful construction.

There are 280 balusters of white marble on the sides of the bridge. On top of the balusters, finely carved small stone lions pose in various positions and expressions. The bridge is perhaps most famous though, for being the place when the Japanese invasion of China began in 1937. A small history and exhibition hall opened here in 1981 detailing the colorful history of the bridge.

How to get there: The bridge is a outside the center of town so take bus no. 339.