Why this ride
A 372 km round trip from Songyang - roughly 5 h 39 in the saddle. The stops in between: Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han, Longmen Grottoes, The Grand Canal and back through The Grand Canal. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Observatory and Longmen Grottoes
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 372 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 39
- 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. Observatory
The oldest surviving observatory in China sits in an unassuming spot in Dengfeng, in Henan, and it makes astronomy look more like architecture. The Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory was built in 1276 under the Yuan dynasty by the astronomer Guo Shoujing, who designed a stout stone tower about 9 metres high with a long stone scale running north from its base. The tower was a giant gnomon: the sun cast a shadow along the scale, and by measuring its length at noon through the year, the astronomers could fix the solstices and the length of the year with remarkable accuracy. The calendar that Guo helped create was in use for several centuries.
Read the complete Observatory write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Observatory is where the day begins. Next is Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han.
2. Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han
Luoyang, in Henan province, is one of the four great ancient capitals of China, a city that served as the seat of more than a dozen dynasties over a thousand years. East of the modern city, in the fields along the Luo river, lie the remains of the capital of the Eastern Han dynasty, which ruled from Luoyang from the first to the early third century AD, and of the later Wei, Jin and Northern Wei capitals built on the same site. The site is part of the UNESCO-listed Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, inscribed in 2014.
Read the complete Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han comes up about 77 km into the recorded legs. Next is Longmen Grottoes.
3. 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
about 123 km into the recorded legs you reach Longmen Grottoes. Next is The Grand Canal.
4. The Grand Canal
Luoyang is one of China's ancient capitals, a city with over a thousand years of imperial history pressed into its soil, and the Grand Canal is part of the reason why. In the early seventh century the Sui emperor Yang ordered a system of canals dug to link the Yellow River plain with the rice country of the south, and Luoyang became its great hub. Grain from the Yangtze delta was shipped here and stored in enormous underground granaries; one of them, the Hanjia granary inside the city, is part of the UNESCO listing of the Grand Canal and you can see the excavated grain pits today.
Read the complete The Grand Canal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Grand Canal, about halfway.
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
Longmen Grottoes sits at 194 km, about halfway. Next is back through The Grand Canal.
6. back through The Grand Canal
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Grand Canal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Grand Canal comes up about 216 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Longmen Grottoes.
7. back through 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
about 247 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Longmen Grottoes. Next is back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han.
8. back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han, late in the day. Next is Observatory.
9. Observatory
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Observatory write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 372 km.
Leg by leg
Observatory to Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han
Observatory → Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han is 77 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han to Longmen Grottoes
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han → Longmen Grottoes is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Longmen Grottoes to The Grand Canal
Longmen Grottoes → The Grand Canal is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Grand Canal to Longmen Grottoes
The Grand Canal → Longmen Grottoes is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Longmen Grottoes to back through The Grand Canal
Longmen Grottoes → back through The Grand Canal is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Grand Canal to back through Longmen Grottoes
back through The Grand Canal → back through Longmen Grottoes is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Longmen Grottoes to back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han
back through Longmen Grottoes → back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han to Observatory
back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han → Observatory is 77 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.