Why this ride
127 km from Tangxiang to Tangxiang, about 2 h 18 of riding. It goes by way of Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings, Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings and back through Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings and Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 127 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 18
- 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. Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings
Shimenshan is one of the clusters of rock carvings around Dazu, in Chongqing, where sandstone cliffs were turned into sacred art between the ninth and thirteenth centuries. The Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO listing since 1999, include several sites: Beishan with its small niches, Baodingshan with its sweeping Buddhist tableaux, and Shimenshan, Nanshan and Shizhuanshan, each with its own character. At Shimenshan the carvings, made in the Song dynasty, blend Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian figures, something rare at a single site.
Read the complete Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings is where the day begins. Next is Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings.
2. Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings
Of all the stone carvings in China, the ones at Baodingshan are the most surprising, because they are not tucked into a cave but laid out like a huge outdoor theatre in a horseshoe-shaped valley. This is the best-known part of the Dazu Rock Carvings, in the hills of Chongqing, about fifteen kilometres from the old county town, and it was largely the work of one monk, Zhao Zhifeng, who spent decades in the twelfth century turning a valley into a sermon in stone.
Read the complete Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings comes up about 26 km into the recorded legs. Next is Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings.
3. Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings
Dazu is a quiet, green corner of the Chongqing hills, a long way from the skyscraper image the municipality usually gets. The Shizhuanshan carvings sit in the countryside south-west of the old town, cut into a sandstone cliff beneath trees, and they belong to the same group of Song-dynasty sites that earned Dazu a place on the World Heritage list in 1999. They are smaller and more intimate than the better-known Baodingshan, and many visitors say they are the more peaceful of the two.
Read the complete Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 63 km into the recorded legs you reach Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings. Next is back through Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings.
4. back through Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings, late in the day. Next is Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings.
5. Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings to Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings
Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings → Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings to Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings
Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings → Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings to back through Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings
Shizhuanshan Cliffside Carvings → back through Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings to Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings
back through Baodingshan Cliffside Carvings → Shimenshan Cliffside Carvings is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.