Linqing is where the Grand Canal still carries the memory of an empire, and its bricks may be the best evidence. The town lies in western Shandong, on the flat plain of north China, at the meeting of the Wei river and the Huitong Canal, a stretch of the great waterway dug in 1411 under the Ming emperor Yongle to carry grain from the Yangtze south to the new capital at Beijing. It was one of the busiest places on the route, a customs post and transfer point where goods changed boats, and for centuries it was one of the richest towns on the plain.
The bricks are special. Linqing was a major producer of the huge, fine-grained grey bricks that built the walls and halls of the Forbidden City, and each was stamped with the name of the kiln, the supervisor and the year, so that any faulty brick could be traced. Piles of old stamped bricks have been found along the canal, and the Ming granary buildings nearby were built of the same material. Walk along the water at dusk, with the old bridge and the quiet embankment, and imagine the thousands of barges that once jammed it.
The land here is as flat as a table. The plain is a patchwork of wheat, maize and cotton fields, with poplar windbreaks and brick villages, and the sky is wide and often hazy. Roads run straight and long through the fields, and the pace is slow, with tractors and three-wheelers sharing the lane. Summer is hot and humid, and spring winds can bring dust from the north, so autumn is the best time, when the air clears and the fields are golden. UNESCO added the Grand Canal to the World Heritage list in 2014.
For practical purposes, this is a big, busy region of cities and highways, and riding in China as a visitor involves rules on licences, vehicles and permits that are strict and change from time to time, so check them carefully before planning anything. Fuel is easy to find in the larger towns, including Qingnian, which is the nearest, and food is plentiful and cheap. Look for the noodle dishes and flatbreads typical of Shandong, and in the evening local people gather by the canal to walk and talk.