Longmen Grottoes and Zhengzhou Section of Tongji Canal

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Longmen Grottoes

   South of Luoyang, the river Yi cuts through a narrow gap between two limestone hills, and for about a kilometre the cliffs on both sides are honeycombed with caves, niches and carvings. Over around four centuries, starting in the late fifth century under the Northern Wei dynasty and continuing through the Tang, Buddhist sculptors carved tens of thousands of statues into the rock, from tiny figures a few centimetres high to colossal Buddhas. The Longmen Grottoes were listed by UNESCO in 2000 and are among the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art.

   Read the complete Longmen Grottoes write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Longmen Grottoes is where the day begins. Next is Shaoshi Que Gates.

2. 2. Shaoshi Que Gates

   A que is a gate tower, and the Shaoshi Que is a pair of them, standing like two stone gateposts at the foot of Mount Shaoshi in Henan province, on the approach to the sacred mountain. They date from the Han dynasty, nearly two thousand years ago, and are among the oldest surviving examples of this type of monument in China. The tall stone shafts, with carved reliefs of hunting scenes, animals and chariots, stand on the slope with the mountain behind them. Together with the Taishi and Qimu que on neighbouring mountains, they belong to the group of monuments in Dengfeng that UNESCO recognised in 2010 as the Centre of Heaven and Earth.

   Read the complete Shaoshi Que Gates write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Shaoshi Que Gates comes up about 74 km into the recorded legs. Next is Zhengzhou Section of Tongji Canal.

3. 3. Zhengzhou Section of Tongji Canal

   Zhengzhou is a modern city of over four million people built on top of a very old one. Under the streets lie the walls of a Shang dynasty city some three and a half thousand years old, parts of which are still visible as long banks of rammed earth, and the Yellow River runs just north of town. The city is the capital of Henan, the province that some Chinese call the cradle of civilisation, and for much of history the plains around here were the political centre of the country.

   Read the complete Zhengzhou Section of Tongji Canal write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 174 km into the recorded legs you reach Zhengzhou Section of Tongji Canal. Next is back through Shaoshi Que Gates.

4. 4. back through Shaoshi Que Gates

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Shaoshi Que Gates write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Shaoshi Que Gates, late in the day. Next is Longmen Grottoes.

5. 5. Longmen Grottoes

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Longmen Grottoes write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Longmen Grottoes. That is the ride.