Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valle and Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
278 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 37
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
A 278 km round trip from Deqing - roughly 3 h 37 in the saddle. On the way it passes Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal, Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh and back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valle
Five thousand years ago, on a plain south of Lake Tai, a society built a city with walls, canals, palaces and an advanced water-control system, and then it vanished. Liangzhu, in Zhejiang province not far from Hangzhou, came to light only in the 1930s, and the full extent of its remains was revealed in the early twenty-first century. UNESCO added the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City to its list in 2019, recognising an early regional state in the lower Yangtze valley.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valle is where the day begins. Next is Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.
2. Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
The Grand Canal of China is the longest artificial waterway in the world, a chain of canals and rivers linking Beijing with Hangzhou that was begun in sections well over two thousand years ago and unified under the Sui dynasty in the seventh century. Its southernmost stretch, the Jiangnan Canal, crosses the flat, watery plain between Jiaxing and Hangzhou, and this section is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Grain, silk and salt moved north along it for centuries, and the towns that line its banks grew rich on that traffic.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal comes up about 64 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh.
3. Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh
Shaoxing is a city built on water. Its canals, bridges and narrow stone-paved lanes have made it one of the most photogenic towns in eastern China, and the Zhedong Canal, which links Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Ningbo, is its great artery. The canal belongs to the Grand Canal system, the longest artificial waterway in the world, which UNESCO listed in 2014. The Zhedong section carried grain, silk, tea and travellers for more than a thousand years, and in Shaoxing you can still see black-awninged boats, arched stone bridges and old warehouses along the banks.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 138 km into the recorded legs you reach Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh. Next is back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.
4. back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valle. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valle to Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valle → Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal is 64 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal to Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh
Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal → Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh to back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
Hangzhou Xiaoshan - Shaoxing Section of Zh → back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal to Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valle
back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal → Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valle is 64 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.