Why this ride
An 85 km round trip from Jinjiang - roughly 1 h 16 in the saddle. On the way it passes Site of Shunji Bridge, Shihu Dock and back through Site of Shunji Bridge. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sites of Cizao Kilns and Shihu Dock
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 85 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 16
- 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. Sites of Cizao Kilns
A thousand years ago, Quanzhou was one of the greatest ports in the world, the place Marco Polo called Zaitun, where ships from Persia, Arabia, India and Southeast Asia came to trade for silk, tea and porcelain. The ceramics that filled those ships were made in kilns in the hills around the city, and the Cizao kilns, near Jinjiang, were among the most important. Long dragon kilns, built up the slopes of the hills, were fired with wood, producing huge quantities of pottery for export. Shards from Cizao have been found across Asia and as far away as East Africa. Since 2021 the kiln sites have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China.
Read the complete Sites of Cizao Kilns write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sites of Cizao Kilns is where the day begins. Next is Site of Shunji Bridge.
2. Site of Shunji Bridge
The bridges of Quanzhou were as astonishing as its port. In the Song dynasty, when the city grew rich on trade with Arabia, India and South-East Asia, its builders spanned the estuaries with long stone bridges set on huge foundations of boulders and oyster shells, and some of them are still standing. The Shunji Bridge, whose site is on our list, belongs to this tradition, and what remains is a place beside the river where engineers once solved a problem that seemed impossible: how to build a stone bridge across a tidal estuary with strong currents.
Read the complete Site of Shunji Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site of Shunji Bridge comes up 20 km in. Next is Shihu Dock.
3. Shihu Dock
In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Quanzhou was one of the busiest ports in the world. Arab, Persian, Indian and Italian merchants lived in the city, which Marco Polo knew as Zayton, and ships loaded with silk, porcelain and tea left for the Indian Ocean. The port stood on the Fujian coast of southern China, at the mouth of the Jin river, and the whole system of temples, mosques, bridges, docks and kiln sites was listed by UNESCO in 2021 as Quanzhou, Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China.
Read the complete Shihu Dock write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
39 km in you reach Shihu Dock. Next is back through Site of Shunji Bridge.
4. back through Site of Shunji Bridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site of Shunji Bridge 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 Shunji Bridge, late in the day. Next is Sites of Cizao Kilns.
5. Sites of Cizao Kilns
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sites of Cizao Kilns write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Sites of Cizao Kilns. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Sites of Cizao Kilns to Site of Shunji Bridge
Sites of Cizao Kilns → Site of Shunji Bridge is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Site of Shunji Bridge to Shihu Dock
Site of Shunji Bridge → Shihu Dock is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Shihu Dock to back through Site of Shunji Bridge
Shihu Dock → back through Site of Shunji Bridge is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Site of Shunji Bridge to Sites of Cizao Kilns
back through Site of Shunji Bridge → Sites of Cizao Kilns is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.