CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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.
From Changzhou it runs 240 km to Changzhou; allow about 3 h 45 of riding. The stops in between: Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal, Classical Gardens of Suzhou, The Lingering Garden and Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
Changzhou does not appear on many bucket lists, which is a pity, because it holds a living stretch of the Grand Canal, the longest man-made waterway in the world. The canal here is the Jiangnan section, the southern part that links the Yangtze with Hangzhou, and it runs right through the city, past old lanes, stone bridges and modern towers. UNESCO added the Grand Canal to its list in 2014, and Changzhou's urban section is one of the segments that make up the listing.
Read the complete Changzhou City Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Changzhou City Section of Jiangnan Canal is where the day begins. Next is Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal.
The Grand Canal is the longest artificial waterway in the world, stretching from Beijing to Hangzhou, and some of its sections have been in use for more than two thousand years. In the Jiangnan region, south of the Yangtze, it flows through a landscape of rice paddies, lakes and old towns, and in Wuxi it runs right through the city. The canal was listed by UNESCO in 2014, and the Wuxi section includes historic streets, bridges and warehouses along its banks.
Read the complete Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal comes up 34 km in. Next is Classical Gardens of Suzhou.
A classical Chinese garden is a whole landscape squeezed into a courtyard: rocks stand in for mountains, ponds for lakes, and a winding covered walkway reveals one framed view after another, each window cut in a different shape. Suzhou, a canal city west of Shanghai, perfected the art over centuries, as scholars, officials and merchants built private retreats behind high white walls. Nine of its gardens are listed by UNESCO as the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, among them the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden and the tiny, exquisite Master-of-Nets Garden, and the Retreat and Reflection Garden in the water town of Tongli.
Read the complete Classical Gardens of Suzhou write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
At least 72 km in you reach Classical Gardens of Suzhou. Next is The Lingering Garden.
The Lingering Garden, called Liu Yuan, is one of the four most famous gardens in China, and a masterpiece of the Suzhou school. It began in the sixteenth century as the private garden of an official of the Ming dynasty, and was later rebuilt by a Qing dynasty owner, whose family name, Liu, gave it its present name, which also means lingering or staying on, and that is exactly what visitors want to do. It belongs to the UNESCO listing of the classical gardens of Suzhou, from 1997, and it covers a couple of hectares, with halls, pavilions, corridors, ponds and rockeries arranged in a design that seems to turn a small space into a landscape.
Read the complete The Lingering Garden write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
The Lingering Garden, about halfway. Next is Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.
The Grand Canal is the longest artificial waterway in the world, running from Beijing to Hangzhou, and the Jiangnan section through Suzhou is one of its most storied stretches. Here, the canal winds through a landscape of water towns, rice fields and lakes, past ancient bridges, temples and gardens. It is part of the World Heritage site that recognises the canal as one of the greatest engineering achievements of the pre-industrial world.
Read the complete Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal sits at 136 km, about halfway. Next is back through The Lingering Garden.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Lingering Garden write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through The Lingering Garden comes up 170 km in. Next is back through Classical Gardens of Suzhou.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Classical Gardens of Suzhou write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
204 km in you reach back through Classical Gardens of Suzhou. Next is back through Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal, late in the day. Next is Changzhou City Section of Jiangnan Canal.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Changzhou City Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
The route ends here after 240 km.
Changzhou City Section of Jiangnan Canal → Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal → Classical Gardens of Suzhou is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Classical Gardens of Suzhou → The Lingering Garden is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Lingering Garden → Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal → back through The Lingering Garden is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Lingering Garden → back through Classical Gardens of Suzhou is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Classical Gardens of Suzhou → back through Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Wuxi City Section of Jiangnan Canal → Changzhou City Section of Jiangnan Canal is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.