Portrait of an LBX

The subtitle of our project is “a search for humanity in China,” and our journey therefore centers around the inhabitants of this vast land. Our choice of transportation, the bicycle, however, allows us to explore the country as few others do. We prefer to avoid the main roads and big cities to the extent possible, except of course when we are in need of free Wifi to update the site. We are looking for those places that remain relatively untouched by blind development, where either a deep cultural history or stunning natural scenery still exists. For our fellow travelers (especially those on bikes), we offer here some of the highlights of our wanderings.

• Yunnan Mountain Climb: S214 from Tonghai (通海) to Lüchun (绿春) in Yunnan province (note: S214 disappears just out of Tonghai but picks up a bit down the Tongjian Highway (通建高速), and the ride would be more interesting if the highway were avoided). This is the jaunt that caused Portrait of an LBX to happen. In October 2008, Evan, Andy and another friend set out to ride from Kunming to Xishuangbanna on Dahons over the October Golden Week holiday. The ride out of Kunming, of course, was industrial and generally awful, but things started getting good around Tonghai, a city with a large Hui Muslim population. The road passes through Yuanyang (元阳) other Hani and Yi ethnic minority (哈尼族/彝族) areas. Yuanyang is an area of mountains from which the Hani have cut terraced rice paddies, making for an incredible sight if the trip is undertaken while the paddies are full of water and an impressive view no matter what. Our trip ended in Lvchun after our third member fell ill. Photos from the ride here.

• Undiscovered Old Town: This isn’t a ride, but simply a destination. The location is a small town in Shandong just across the border from Hebei called Zhangguan (长官). There is little remarkable about the town upon first glance, but a few steps off the S249 provincial road takes you back a couple centuries into a quaint little old town untouched by the commercialism and entrance fee that usually accompanies anything with a little history and architectural flair in this country. About 90 percent of the town’s residents share the surname Zhang (张), and nearly the entire town belongs to the Hui Muslim minority (回族). Asking for the mosque (清真寺) will lead you into the old town where the pace of life, architecture and friendly people offer a welcome respite from China’s bustling cities. Our posts relating to the town of Zhangguan can be found here.

• Yellow River Run: A small road runs on top of the dike on the eastern side of the Yellow River in Shandong province, which makes for a very pleasant ride. Our ride on the dike began around Lijinshitang Village (李进士堂镇) in Shandong and ended in Kaifeng (开封), Henan. Dozens of little villages can be reached and explored via small roads running off the top of the dike, usually to the side away from the river, and the river itself provides some pleasant scenery in the otherwise desolate Shandong/Henan area. Some discussion of our dike ride can be found here.

• Home of the Purple Clay Teapot: Another destination to explore by foot or by bike. The town of Dingshu (丁蜀镇), Jiangsu province is located under Yixing City (宜兴市) and is the home of China’s purple clay teapots (紫砂壶). Coming into Dingshu from Yixing via the G104 national highway (which if you’re biking, could be taken the whole way down to the beginning of the Bamboo Surfing ride below), you’ll be greeted by the usual, gaudy museum and commercialized area surrounding anything of cultural value in China. Ignore that and head into town toward the No. 1 and No. 2 Craft Works (一号与二号紫砂工艺厂). Here you can knock on the doors of the studios of the purple clay masters, whose pots sell for amounts into the tens of thousands of yuan, and watch them work. The town of Dingshu itself, full of streams, little bridges and southern village architecture, is well worth exploring as well. Our longer article on Dingshu and the clay pot masters there is accessible here.

• Bamboo Surfing: This is another hill-climbing adventure, through the “bamboo ocean” (竹海) of Anji County (安吉县) in Zhejiang. The ride begins on the G104 national highway at Daixicun (埭西村) on the Daifang Line (埭芳线) going west. A look at Google Maps will lead you to believe that you can take the Daifang Line the whole way into the mountains at Fangshan (芳山村). This is a lie — a newly built reservoir sits in the way. Instead, turn left at a small road at the railroad tracks listed on Google as Shanbei Highway (山背公路). Take this through the village of Shanbei, which has neat yellow signs every twenty meters or so telling you that you are in Shanbei and through Qi Village (七村). At the rock painted with the characters for Qi Village, continue straight and uphill and take the bridge over the reservoir. The road will eventually hook back up with the Daifang Line, which can be taken west into the mountains of bamboo and white tea. After passing through the village of Fangshan (芳山), take the first right onto the Xiaoyu Line (晓于线) and begin your climb into Anji county (安吉县), home of Anji white tea (安吉白茶). Explore the beautiful, mountainous area to your heart’s content, but eventually find your way out by asking the way to Dipu Town (递铺镇), which is accessible from provincial road S11/S306, which you will hit coming out of the mountains.

• Wencheng to Jingning, Terraced Mountainscapes in Southwestern Zhejiang: (Route map) Take a bus to Wencheng (文成县) from Wenzhou, since it’s right after this city that provincial highway 330 gets interesting. If you take this route by bike, expect intense climbs and thrilling downhills, not to mention some of the most pristine forests we’ve seen in all of Jiangnan. You’ll pass through a few gorgeous villages that hardly seem to have been touched by the spreading specter of modernity, except, of course, for the fact that all the remaining inhabitants are middle aged and up. If you’re able to ingratiate yourself to a local family, the rewards in local food and home fermented rice wine alone make the trip worthwhile. Read the post about this incredible ride here.

• Tea Tasting Tour: (Route map) This route starts in Datian (大田), Fujian and ends in Anxi (安溪), the heralded home of tieguanyin (铁观音) tea. Taking provincial road S306 out of Datian will lead you over the third-highest mountain in Fujian, after which the tea shops start (you’ll need to take S206 briefly and then S307 the whole way to Anxi). While not yet in Anxi county, the tea shops on the road out of Datian county will tell you that because the leaf has become so wildly popular, cultivation has spread to the neighboring counties. Some even claim they have better tea because their tea plants are younger. But you’re on a tea tour — you can decide that for yourself. Once you enter into Anxi county, you’re in tea heaven — anything with a slope is covered with neatly planted rows of tea plants. Stop in any of the family operated teashops on the side of the road for a tasting and enjoy the green gold at wholesale prices (sometimes as low as ten percent of what you’d pay in a market in Beijing or Shanghai!) If you make the trip in early May or October, you’ll be fortunate enough to find the entire area in harvest mode and taste the truly fresh stuff! The road will eventually take you into the county seat of Anxi, where you can find the world’s most ridiculous (if not largest) tea market, if that’s your thing. Check out our post from the journey here and pictures here.

• Guangxi Karst: (Route Map) The Guilin/Yangshuo area is known for its beautiful limestone rock formations, but the area is a touristy mess. The karst landscape can be found all over southern Guangxi, and we saw plenty on our ride through the area. Nanning (南宁) presents the perfect opportunity for a weekend trip. Take national road G324 out of town. After 20-some kilometers you’ll cross under an expressway, after which you’ll turn onto county road X010 at Tanluo (坛洛镇). The road is in pretty good condition and mostly devoid of vehicles, providing a peaceful ride through the Jurassic Park landscape. Turn onto provincial road S316 at Gutan Township (古潭乡), which you can follow the whole way to the county seat of Daxin (大新县城). There is plenty of other exploring to be done in the area as well.

• Southeastern Yunnan: (Route Map) Yunnan is simply an amazing province in just about all respects. For natural beauty and diverse minority culture, it is unparalleled. Funing (富宁县城) provides a good start point. From there, it’s up into a series of breathtaking mountains and valleys where you’ll find colorful ethnic minorities like the Zhuang (壮族), Miao (苗族), Yi (彝族), Bulang (布朗族), Yao (妖族) and Hui (回族) under endless blue skies and puffy, white clouds.

• Ameng Tuesday Market: (Map) One of the most interesting places we passed through in Southeastern Yunnan was a town called Ameng. Here, on Tuesdays, there is an open market that rivals the famous markets of Kashgar and Hotan in Xinjiang, if not in scale then at least in color and intensity. Peasants come in from kilometers and kilometers around town to peddle their wares and buy others. There is a huge outdoor market in the main section of town and an animal market on a hill on the outskirts. Pictures from the market here and a post about it here.

• Shadian Muslim Enclave: (Map) Yunnan is home to a huge population of Chinese Muslims of the Hui minority. Shadian (沙甸镇) is sort of the Mecca of Islam in China. Hui from all over the province come to Shadian to study the Koran in the town’s ten mosques, including the largest in Southeast Asia, which was still under construction when we visited the town. In the morning, there are some neat little street markets. And of course, there are noodles galore — everywhere. Post about our time in Shadian here.