Why this ride
It goes by way of Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’, The Grand Canal, Longmen Grottoes and back through The Grand Canal. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient and Longmen Grottoes
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 267 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 40
- 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. Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient
The Silk Road is often imagined as a line across a desert, but in places it was a road cut into rock. The Xiaohan ancient road runs through the mountains of Henan province, linking Luoyang, the Han and Tang capital, with the west through the narrow pass at Hangu. The Shihao section is a stretch of the road that survives in the loess hills, with ruts cut into the stone by wheels. UNESCO listed it as part of the Silk Roads network in 2014.
Read the complete Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient is where the day begins. Next is Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’.
2. Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’
The Hangu Pass is one of the legendary places of Chinese history. According to tradition, it was at the old Hangu Pass, guarding the narrow road between the Central Plain and the Wei valley, that the philosopher Laozi, leaving China on the back of an ox, was asked by the gatekeeper to write down his wisdom before passing, and the result was the Tao Te Ching. That pass lies further west, near Lingbao. In 114 BC, under the Han dynasty, the pass was moved east to Xin'an county, near Luoyang, and it is the remains of this later Han pass, with its gate, walls and stretches of ancient road, that form part of the Silk Roads World Heritage site, on the route between the capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang and on towards Central Asia.
Read the complete Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ comes up about 72 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Grand Canal.
3. 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
about 104 km into the recorded legs you reach The Grand Canal. Next is Longmen Grottoes.
4. 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
Longmen Grottoes, about halfway. Next is back through The Grand Canal.
5. 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 sits at 203 km, about halfway. Next is back through Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’.
6. back through Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ 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 Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ comes up about 198 km into the recorded legs. Next is Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient.
7. Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient closes the day.
Leg by leg
Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient to Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’
Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient → Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ is 72 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ to The Grand Canal
Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ → The Grand Canal is 32 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 32 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 Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’
back through The Grand Canal → back through Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ to Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient
back through Site of Han’gu Pass of Han Dynasty in Xin’ → Site of Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient is 70 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.