We will start out in the vibrant southern cities of Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, and the special economic zones of Zhuhai and Shenzhen to capture the glitz, excitement and mind-boggling explosion of growth in modern China.

Then we head for a much quieter part of China to cycle through the Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces during the monsoon season and explore the limestone peaks of Yangshuo in Guangxi province, visit older traditional villages in Hunan province, and ride through the mist covered hills and valleys of southeastern Guizhou province. We will bicycle through southern Yunnan province to experience and learn about China’s diverse minority cultures, and hike in the rainforest of Sanchahe Nature Reserve to see one of China’s last remaining herds of wild elephants.
           
Next we will ride through central Sichuan province to see the world’s tallest statue of Buddha, climb Emei Shan, one of the four sacred mountains of China, and visit the Giant Panda Breeding and Research center near Chengdu. In northern Sichuan we will hike through National Parks and reserves and then cycle into the mountains on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau to visit a number of remote monasteries.
           
In northwestern Ganzu province we will join the silk route and bicycle along the Hexi corridor, the ancient western passage out of the Middle Kingdom, where we will follow the route of Marco Polo to the western end of the Great Wall. From the Jiayuguan Fort, the last major stronghold of Imperial China, we will bicycle in the Gobi Desert to the oasis of Dunhuang, before crossing into Xinjiang province to the legendary oasis of Turpan, 500 feet below sea level, the lowest, and hottest spot in all of China.

By now it will be late June. If the daytime temperatures are under 120 degrees, we hope to bicycle across part of the Taklimakan Desert. (We crossed the White Desert of Egypt in similar temperatures in 2005). We will finish our time in far western China exploring the markets and mosques of the famous caravan town of Kashi (Kashgar), an area with a large Muslim population.
           
From Kashi we will take a three-day train back east into central China to visit the city of Xian and see the famous army of terracotta warriors. Another bus eastward will bring us to central Shanxi province to cycle an area important in early Chinese history with well-preserved walled villages, cobbled streets, covered bridges and ancient temples.
           
Next we head for Beijing to cycle around the capitol for a few days and see the eastern Great Wall then to Nanjing on the Yangzi River, where we will bicycle into southeast Jiangsu province through thousand-year-old river towns built along the Grand Canal, the world’s longest canal system. We will visit Shanghai and then cycle into northern Zhejiang province, described in one guidebook as an area “praised by emperors and revered by poets…ancient pagodas and mist-covered hills are like stepping into a classical Chinese water color.”
           
We will finish our trip in Fujian province at Xiamen, one of China’s most attractive harbor cities, and explore Gulang Yu Island, the picturesque home to many of China’s most celebrated musicians. Finally we will head back to Hong Kong, three and a half months after we started our journey.