Why this ride
A 353 km round trip from Songyang - roughly 5 h 18 in the saddle. It goes by way of Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han, Longmen Grottoes, The Grand Canal and back through The Grand Canal. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Taishi Que Gates and Longmen Grottoes
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 353 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 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. Taishi Que Gates
At the foot of Mount Song, one of the five sacred mountains of China, stand three pairs of free-standing stone gateways that have been waiting for the better part of two thousand years. They are que, tall, pillar-like towers that marked the approach to a temple or tomb in Han dynasty China, and the ones at Dengfeng belong to the temples of Mount Song, as ceremonial entrance markers. The Taishi Que, the western gate of the Zhongyue Temple, dates from the second century, and is covered with carved scenes of hunting, chariots, dancers and animals, in a lively, rough, vigorous style. They are among the oldest such structures in China and they are part of the UNESCO listing of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng.
Read the complete Taishi Que Gates write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Taishi Que Gates is where the day begins. Next is Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han.
2. 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 comes up about 67 km into the recorded legs. 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
about 113 km into the recorded legs you reach Longmen Grottoes. Next is The Grand Canal.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Longmen Grottoes.
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 181 km, about halfway. Next is back through The Grand Canal.
6. 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 comes up about 206 km into the recorded legs. 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
about 237 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Longmen Grottoes. Next is back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han.
8. back through 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 through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han, late in the day. Next is Taishi Que Gates.
9. Taishi Que Gates
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Taishi Que Gates 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 353 km.
Leg by leg
Taishi Que Gates to Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han
Taishi Que Gates → Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han is 67 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han to Longmen Grottoes
Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han → Longmen Grottoes is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Longmen Grottoes to The Grand Canal
Longmen Grottoes → The Grand Canal is 31 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 31 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 Longmen Grottoes
back through The Grand Canal → back through Longmen Grottoes is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Longmen Grottoes to back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han
back through Longmen Grottoes → back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han to Taishi Que Gates
back through Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han → Taishi Que Gates is 69 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.