Why this ride
187 km from Luoyang to Luoyang, about 2 h 55 of riding. On the way it passes The Grand Canal, Longmen Grottoes, Site of Dingding and back through Site of Dingding.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han and Longmen Grottoes
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 187 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 55
- 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 26 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
52 km in you reach Longmen Grottoes. Next is Site of Dingding.
4. Site of Dingding Gate
Luoyang was a capital for so many Chinese dynasties that locals like to say it holds the history of thirteen of them, and the Dingding Gate was the grand southern entrance of the outer city in the Sui and Tang periods, when Luoyang was one of the largest cities in the world. Through it passed officials, merchants, pilgrims and ambassadors, many of them travelling on the routes that linked China with Central Asia and beyond, which is why it forms part of the UNESCO listing of the Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, inscribed in 2014. Excavations revealed the foundations of the gate and the road surface, with ruts and even footprints of people and animals, now protected inside a modern museum building that echoes the shape of the original gate.
Read the complete Site of Dingding Gate write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site of Dingding, 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 104 km, about halfway. Next is back through Site of Dingding.
6. back through Site of Dingding Gate
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site of Dingding Gate 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 Dingding comes up 129 km in. 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
155 km in you reach back through Longmen Grottoes. Next is back through The Grand Canal.
8. 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.
9. 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
The route ends here after 187 km.
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 Site of Dingding Gate
Longmen Grottoes → Site of Dingding Gate is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Site of Dingding Gate to Longmen Grottoes
Site of Dingding Gate → Longmen Grottoes is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Longmen Grottoes to back through Site of Dingding Gate
Longmen Grottoes → back through Site of Dingding Gate is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Site of Dingding Gate to back through Longmen Grottoes
back through Site of Dingding Gate → back through Longmen Grottoes is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Longmen Grottoes to back through The Grand Canal
back through 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.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ and Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple · 270 km
- Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ and Longmen Grottoes starting at Xin’an Chengguanzhen · 250 km
- Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han and Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ · 197 km
- Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple and Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient · 342 km