Why this ride
94 km from Luoyang to Luoyang, about 1 h 33 of riding. It goes by way of The Grand Canal, Longmen Grottoes and back through The Grand Canal.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han and Longmen Grottoes · 94 km from Luoyang
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 94 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 33
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is The Grand Canal.
2. 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 comes up 27 km in. 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
54 km in you reach Longmen Grottoes. Next is back through The Grand Canal.
4. 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, late in the day. Next is Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han.
5. 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 at Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han to The Grand Canal
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han → The Grand Canal is 20 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 34 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 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Grand Canal to Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han
back through The Grand Canal → Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.