The Zhong Canal, the Middle Canal, was dug in the late seventeenth century for a very practical reason: the Yellow River kept getting in the way. Boats on the Grand Canal had to cross that unruly river in northern Jiangsu, and the crossing was dangerous and often blocked by floods and silt. Engineers of the Qing dynasty cut a new channel that avoided the worst of it, and the Suqian section is a reminder of that effort. It belongs to the Grand Canal's UNESCO listing, and the canal here is a broad, working waterway with barges, embankments and farmland on either side.
Suqian is an old crossroads between the Yellow River's former courses, the Yi and Shu rivers and the great lakes of northern Jiangsu, and the land is flat and watery, with poplar-lined roads, paddy fields and ponds. The city is famous in China for its baijiu, strong grain liquor, which comes in well-known brands, and it is also traditionally linked with Xiang Yu, the warrior who contested the throne with Liu Bang after the fall of the Qin. Emperor Qianlong, who loved touring the south, is said to have rested at a temple palace by the Yellow River near here.
For riding, the plain is relaxed but visually repetitive. Roads are straight, wide and busy with trucks, and speed enforcement by camera is common. The pleasure is in watching local life at the margins: fishermen, boats with laundry hung out, brick kilns and orchards. Foreign visitors on motorbikes face licensing problems in China, so check carefully, and keep in mind that signs are mainly in Chinese. A taxi or a hired driver will make the visit easier.
The nearest sizeable town in the data is Suicheng, about 25 km away, with around 60,000 people, and Suqian city has plenty of fuel and food. Late spring and autumn are the best seasons. Winters are cold and damp, and summers are hot and humid, with thunderstorms. Local food includes river fish, braised dishes and pancakes, and sharing a table with a small glass of the local spirit is the usual way to end a meal. The canal at dusk, with the water turning copper, is the thing to remember.