Why this ride
A 104 km round trip from Suzhou - roughly 1 h 33 in the saddle. On the way it passes Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal, Classical Gardens of Suzhou and back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal. Long stretches are under trees.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Lion Forest Garden and Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 104 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 33
- 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. The Lion Forest Garden
If you want to know why Chinese gardens love rocks, go to the Lion Forest Garden. Built in 1342, during the Yuan dynasty, by monks of a Buddhist monastery in Suzhou in honour of their teacher, it is famous for its rockery, a maze of grey limestone from Lake Tai, twisted into peaks, caves and tunnels, some of which are said to resemble lions. The artist Ni Zan, a celebrated painter of the period, is said to have helped with the design. The garden is part of the Suzhou group inscribed by UNESCO in 1997.
Read the complete The Lion Forest Garden write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Lion Forest Garden is where the day begins. Next is Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.
2. Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
The Grand Canal is the longest artificial waterway in the world, running from Beijing to Hangzhou, and the Jiangnan section through Suzhou is one of its most storied stretches. Here, the canal winds through a landscape of water towns, rice fields and lakes, past ancient bridges, temples and gardens. It is part of the World Heritage site that recognises the canal as one of the greatest engineering achievements of the pre-industrial world.
Read the complete Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Classical Gardens of Suzhou.
3. Classical Gardens of Suzhou
A classical Chinese garden is a whole landscape squeezed into a courtyard: rocks stand in for mountains, ponds for lakes, and a winding covered walkway reveals one framed view after another, each window cut in a different shape. Suzhou, a canal city west of Shanghai, perfected the art over centuries, as scholars, officials and merchants built private retreats behind high white walls. Nine of its gardens are listed by UNESCO as the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, among them the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden and the tiny, exquisite Master-of-Nets Garden, and the Retreat and Reflection Garden in the water town of Tongli.
Read the complete Classical Gardens of Suzhou write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 53 km into the recorded legs you reach Classical Gardens of Suzhou. Next is back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.
4. back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal, late in the day. Next is The Lion Forest Garden.
5. The Lion Forest Garden
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Lion Forest Garden write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at The Lion Forest Garden. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
The Lion Forest Garden to Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
The Lion Forest Garden → Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal to Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal → Classical Gardens of Suzhou is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Classical Gardens of Suzhou to back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
Classical Gardens of Suzhou → back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal to The Lion Forest Garden
back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal → The Lion Forest Garden is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.