Weishan Section of Huitong Canal and Nanwang Complex

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Weishan Section of Huitong Canal

   Weishan sits on the eastern shore of a very big lake, and the lake changes everything about the place. Weishan Lake is the southernmost of a chain of shallow lakes in south-west Shandong, forming a long strip of water that links the Huitong Canal with the Grand Canal further south. In summer the shallows are covered with lotus flowers, in pink and white, and reed beds stretch for kilometres along the shore. Fishing boats move through the channels, and the air smells of water and mud.

   Read the complete Weishan Section of Huitong Canal write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Weishan Section of Huitong Canal is where the day begins. Next is Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the K.

2. 2. Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the K

   Confucius was born in 551 BC in the small state of Lu, in what is now Shandong province, and Qufu was his home town. When he died in 479 BC, his disciples buried him on the banks of the Si river, and a small shrine was built to his memory. Over two thousand years, that modest shrine grew into a huge temple complex, rebuilt and enlarged by emperors who wanted to link themselves to the sage whose teachings underpinned the Chinese state. The temple, the Kong family mansion and the Kong Lin, the family cemetery, were listed together by UNESCO in 1994.

   Read the complete Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the K write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the K comes up about 95 km into the recorded legs. Next is Nanwang Complex.

3. 3. Nanwang Complex

   China's Grand Canal has a trick at its summit. The canal runs north to south for nearly two thousand kilometres, but in Shandong the land rises to a ridge between the Yellow River and the Huai, and boats cannot cross a hill. At Nanwang, near Wenshang, Ming dynasty engineers solved the problem in the early fifteenth century. The overseer Song Li and the water expert Bai Ying built a dam across the Wen River to divert its water to the summit of the canal, where it split, sending a share north and a share south. The idea was to feed both slopes from one high point.

   Read the complete Nanwang Complex write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 162 km into the recorded legs you reach Nanwang Complex. Next is back through Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the K.

4. 4. back through Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the K

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the K write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the K, late in the day. Next is Weishan Section of Huitong Canal.

5. 5. Weishan Section of Huitong Canal

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Weishan Section of Huitong Canal write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Weishan Section of Huitong Canal. That is the ride.