Nanxun Section of Jiangnan Canal and Area of Yaoshan Site

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Nanxun Section of Jiangnan Canal

   Nanxun is one of the water towns of the Yangtze delta, south of Lake Tai, where life has revolved around canals for more than a thousand years. In the nineteenth century, it became immensely rich through the silk trade, and its merchant families, known by nicknames like the four elephants and the eight bulls, built mansions that mixed Chinese courtyards with European columns, stained glass and Western-style furniture, an unusual blend you will not find in many other water towns. The canal running through the town is part of the Grand Canal, the immense waterway linking Beijing with Hangzhou, which UNESCO listed in 2014.

   Read the complete Nanxun 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

   Nanxun Section of Jiangnan Canal is where the day begins. Next is Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.

2. 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.

   Read the complete Jiaxing-Hangzhou 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

   Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Area of Yaoshan Site.

3. 3. Area of Yaoshan Site

   Five thousand years ago, on the plain north of Hangzhou, people built a city with a water system so sophisticated that archaeologists still marvel at it. This is the Liangzhu culture, and the Yaoshan site is one of its most intriguing pieces, thought to be a ritual platform where elites took part in ceremonies and where beautifully worked jades were buried. The Liangzhu people carved jade into discs called bi and tubes known as cong, with delicate, mask-like faces, and these objects were symbols of status and belief. The whole Liangzhu complex has been a UNESCO site since 2019.

   Read the complete Area of Yaoshan Site write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 100 km into the recorded legs you reach Area of Yaoshan Site. Next is back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.

4. 4. back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Jiaxing-Hangzhou 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

   back through Jiaxing-Hangzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal, late in the day. Next is Nanxun Section of Jiangnan Canal.

5. 5. Nanxun Section of Jiangnan Canal

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Nanxun 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

   Back at Nanxun Section of Jiangnan Canal. That is the ride.