Why this ride
A 70 km round trip from Mudu - roughly 1 h 07 in the saddle. The stops in between: The Lingering Garden, Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal and back through The Lingering Garden.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Classical Gardens of Suzhou and Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 70 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 07
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Classical Gardens of Suzhou is where the day begins. Next is The Lingering Garden.
2. 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.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Lingering Garden comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.
3. 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.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 36 km into the recorded legs you reach Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal. Next is back through The Lingering Garden.
4. back through The Lingering Garden
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Lingering Garden write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Lingering Garden, late in the day. Next is Classical Gardens of Suzhou.
5. Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Classical Gardens of Suzhou write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Classical Gardens of Suzhou. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Classical Gardens of Suzhou to The Lingering Garden
Classical Gardens of Suzhou → The Lingering Garden is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Lingering Garden to Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
The Lingering Garden → Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal to back through The Lingering Garden
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal → back through The Lingering Garden is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Lingering Garden to Classical Gardens of Suzhou
back through The Lingering Garden → Classical Gardens of Suzhou is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.