七七盧溝橋事變 The July 7 Incident, also known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, occurred on 7 July 1937 near Beijing. Japanese forces, citing the alleged disappearance of a soldier, demanded entry into a nearby Chinese town. Upon refusal, they opened fire. The Nationalist (KMT) Government army engaged the invading Japanese troops, and the confrontation rapidly escalated, marking the outbreak of the full-scale Second Sino-Japanese War. | John Yam Poh Nam