Why this ride
From Luoyang it runs 219 km to Luoyang; allow about 3 h 00 of riding. It goes by way of Sites of Cizao Kilns, Kulangsu and back through Sites of Cizao Kilns. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Luoyang Bridge and Kulangsu
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 219 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 00
- 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. Luoyang Bridge
The Luoyang Bridge, also called the Wanan Bridge, spans the Luoyang River in Quanzhou prefecture, Fujian, a few kilometres from where the river meets the sea. It was built in the eleventh century, in the Northern Song dynasty, under the direction of Cai Xiang, the local governor and a noted calligrapher. It is a long stone beam bridge, with huge granite slabs laid across stone piers shaped like boat prows, so that the current is split rather than resisted. It was a real engineering achievement, because the estuary has strong tides, and the builders used an unusual technique: oysters were encouraged to grow on the piers and cement them to the foundation, a living mortar that strengthened the structure over the years.
Read the complete Luoyang Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Luoyang Bridge is where the day begins. Next is Sites of Cizao Kilns.
2. Sites of Cizao Kilns
A thousand years ago, Quanzhou was one of the greatest ports in the world, the place Marco Polo called Zaitun, where ships from Persia, Arabia, India and Southeast Asia came to trade for silk, tea and porcelain. The ceramics that filled those ships were made in kilns in the hills around the city, and the Cizao kilns, near Jinjiang, were among the most important. Long dragon kilns, built up the slopes of the hills, were fired with wood, producing huge quantities of pottery for export. Shards from Cizao have been found across Asia and as far away as East Africa. Since 2021 the kiln sites have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China.
Read the complete Sites of Cizao Kilns write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sites of Cizao Kilns comes up about 28 km into the recorded legs. Next is Kulangsu.
3. Kulangsu
Kulangsu, or Gulangyu, is a small island across a narrow strait from the city of Xiamen, and the first thing to know is that you will have to leave your motorcycle behind: no motor vehicles are allowed on the island apart from a few electric service carts. You get there by ferry, and that is part of the charm. Once on the island, the noise of the city disappears, replaced by the sound of footsteps on narrow lanes, birdsong and, quite often, piano music drifting from an open window. Kulangsu is known as the island of pianos, with a long tradition of music and a piano museum.
Read the complete Kulangsu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 108 km into the recorded legs you reach Kulangsu. Next is back through Sites of Cizao Kilns.
4. back through Sites of Cizao Kilns
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sites of Cizao Kilns write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Sites of Cizao Kilns, late in the day. Next is Luoyang Bridge.
5. Luoyang Bridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Luoyang Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Luoyang Bridge. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Luoyang Bridge to Sites of Cizao Kilns
Luoyang Bridge → Sites of Cizao Kilns is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sites of Cizao Kilns to Kulangsu
Sites of Cizao Kilns → Kulangsu is 80 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Kulangsu to back through Sites of Cizao Kilns
Kulangsu → back through Sites of Cizao Kilns is 78 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Sites of Cizao Kilns to Luoyang Bridge
back through Sites of Cizao Kilns → Luoyang Bridge is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.