Five-day cycling journey reaches Liaocheng
Arrive in Liaocheng after 5 days of cycling
“The vote on the Grand Canal’s World Heritage nomination will take place this August, and preparations are underway along the canal. We wanted to contribute to the nomination, so we organized 18 cyclists to promote the cause by cycling along the waterway,” said Zhai Yue, leader of the Grand Canal Cycling Campaign. The ride began in Beijing on June 8 and arrived in Liaocheng on the morning of June 13.
“It took us five days to reach Liaocheng, covering over 500 kilometers. Although we had support vehicles available, all 18 of us insisted on cycling the whole way,” said Pang Xinmao, the team leader. They arrived in Linqing around 7 p.m. the day before yesterday and spent a day visiting local canal heritage sites such as the Chao Customs House and Ao Tou Ji.
“Today we plan to spend the morning in Liaocheng, exploring the Canal Culture Museum, Guangyue Tower, and the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall,” Pang said. This is his second canal cycling trip this year, but last time he couldn’t visit the museum or the tower due to unforeseen circumstances. “This time, I’m determined to make up for that.”
During this Grand Canal cycling journey, some cyclists also brought photography equipment to document the scenic views along the waterway. “Our ride is all about promoting the canal’s nomination, so we issued a statement at the start from Beijing outlining our three main goals: to be recorders of the canal’s history—understanding what it was like yesterday and what it’s like today; to be ambassadors of canal culture; and to be practitioners of canal preservation,” Zhai explained. They plan to publish a book and produce DVDs upon returning to raise awareness about the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
Average age of cyclists: 50
Among the participants, the oldest is 64 and the youngest 26, with an average age of around 50. “Due to time constraints, many young people are at work, so most of our riders are retirees, mostly over 55,” Zhai said. “Every Chinese person has a special connection to the canal, and so do we—especially our eldest teammate, who is absolutely fascinated by it.”
“The Grand Canal is like an ID card for the Chinese nation, but we haven’t valued it enough in the past. Now that the country is finally recognizing its importance, I’m proud to contribute to promoting the canal and its culture,” said 64-year-old cyclist Zhou Guifang. She cycled the entire journey, covering up to 130 kilometers in a single day. “I insisted on cycling unless absolutely forced not to by external factors.”
Around 9 a.m. on the 13th, the cyclists visited the Canal Culture Museum, where guides provided them with free, in-depth tours to deepen their understanding of the Liaocheng section of the canal. They were then taken by reporters to visit Guangyue Tower, the Iron Pagoda, and the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall.
“Liaocheng is a city rich in historical and cultural heritage. Just look at this Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall—it’s majestic, built to the same standards as some structures in Beijing,” one cyclist remarked.
At around 11:40 a.m. on the 13th, the cyclists left the guild hall, had a quick meal, and departed Liaocheng at about 12:30 p.m. en route to their next stop, Liangshan. Their plan is to cross six provinces and municipalities and 20 cities and counties over more than 20 days, covering 2,000 kilometers by bike, and return to Beijing by the end of June.