The Empress Dowager Cixi is said to have spent money meant for the Chinese navy on rebuilding the Summer Palace, and the story is captured in stone: a marble boat moored permanently at the edge of Kunming Lake, a ship that will never sail. Whether the tale is entirely fair to her is debated, but the palace itself is beyond argument, a vast imperial garden of lakes, hills, halls, pavilions, bridges and covered walkways on the north-western edge of Beijing, laid out in the eighteenth century under the Qianlong Emperor, burned by British and French troops in 1860, rebuilt and burned again in 1900, and restored once more. It was listed by UNESCO in 1998 as a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.
The Long Corridor, more than seven hundred metres of covered walkway painted with thousands of scenes from history, legend and nature, runs along the lake shore, and Longevity Hill rises above it, crowned by the Tower of Buddhist Incense. The views across the lake to the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the western hills are among the most famous in China.
That is good news for anyone on two wheels: the hills of Mentougou hold ancient temples such as Tanzhe and Jietai, and the Ming-era village of Cuandixia, with winding mountain roads, river valleys and fresh air that feels a world away from the city.
Riding in Beijing itself is complicated. Motorcycle access in the centre is heavily restricted, foreign riders need Chinese permits and licences, and traffic is dense and unpredictable. Outside the city, in the western hills, roads are quieter but can be steep and narrow, with trucks, buses and cyclists on weekends. Fuel, food and every service are plentiful in Mentougou and the surrounding districts.
Food is a joy: Peking duck, jiaozi dumplings, zhajiangmian noodles with bean sauce and street snacks of every kind. Come in autumn, when the skies are often clear and the hills turn red and gold, or in spring, when blossom fills the palace gardens. Summer is hot and humid, winter cold and dry. Arrive at the Summer Palace early, before the crowds, and walk the Long Corridor while the lake is still and quiet.