Motorbike Tour through Xinjiang, Gansu & Shaanxi

Motorbike Tour through Xinjiang, Gansu & Shaanxi

This tour will lead you from the westernmost province of China to the world-famous town of Xi'An and is specially designed for people, who want to have a unique experience in China. Ride your own motorbike to visit ancient towns along the Silk Road and Great Wall and observe the different minorities' ways of life amidst impressive scenery. Explore hidden spots off the beaten tracks on this unusual, exciting adventure.

Note: Instead of driving a Chang Jiang 750 sidecar, we could also arrange all the necessary documents so you could get your own bike to China and drive it on this tour. Please contact us as early as possible because it might take several weeks to prepare all the documents needed to import a bike. Please note that spare parts for your bike might not be available in China.

Do you have a question? Use our online support system! Simply click on the "live chat" icon, fill in the required fields and choose an available operator.

Quick Introduction

The Chang Jiang 750 motorcycle is the Chinese clone of the Russian M72, who itself is the clone of the BMW R71. After the Russian copied the R71 and used it successfully during World War II, they sold a couple of M72s to the Chinese during the fifties. Then, in 1957, the Chinese started their own M72 production under the name of Chang Jiang 750. The early Chang Jiang 750 motorcycle production was made by the Guo Ying Gan Jiang Ji Xie Chang. The early production was using a lot of Russian M72 parts such as fenders, frames, wheels, ignition keys, switches, etc. Even some complete Russian made M72 were recalled Chang Jiang 750. Some had the Russian engine changed to a Chinese made one.

Vehicle Specifications Chang Jiang 750

Information about Xinjiang, Gansu & Shaanxi

Lying in northwestern China, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, also called Xin for short, was referred to as the Western Region in ancient times. It has an area of 1,66 million square kilometers, roughly about one-sixth of the total territory of China. Xinjiang is the largest and has the longest boundary line among China's provinces and autonomous regions. It shares 5,600 kilometers of frontier with Mongolia in the northeast; Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirghiszstan, and Tadzhikistan in the west; and Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India in the southwest. Xinjiang is divided into two basins by Mount Tianshan, Dzungarian Basin in the north and Tarim Basin in the south. The Karakorum highway links Islamabad, Pakistan with Kashgar over the Khunjerab Pass.

Xinjiang's lowest point is 155 meters below sea level (lowest point in China). Its highest peak is 8611 meters above sea level on the border with Kashmir. The Xinjiang-Kyrgyzstan border is marked by the Tian Shan mountain range. The Torugart Pass (3752 m) is located on this border.

In Xinjiang live 1,073,300 people from 46 ethnic minority groups, or 61.42 percent of the total population, and 6,601,000 Han people. Thirteen of the 47 ethnic groups - the Uygur, Han, Kazak, Hui, Mongolian, Kirgiz, Tajik, Xibe, Ozbek, Manchu, Daur, Tartar and Russian -have lived there for generations.

Gansu is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It lies between Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and the Huangtu Plateaus, and borders Mongolia to the north. The Huang He River passes the southern part of the province. The capital of the province is Lanzhou, located in the southeast part of Gansu.Gansu province has an area of 454,000 km², and the majority of its land is above 1 km over sea level. The Huang He (Yellow) River passes through the southern part of the province. The Yellow River gets most of its water from Gansu province. The Yellow River also flows straight through Lanzhou. Part of the Gobi Desert is located in Gansu.

The landscape in Gansu is very mountainous in the south and flat in the north. The mountains in the south are part of the Qilian mountain range. At 5,547 meters high, Qilian Shan Mountain is Gansu's highest elevation.

Gansu province is home to 26,033,400 people. Most of the population, 73%, is still rural. Gansu is 92% Han and also has Hui, Tibetan, Dingxiang, Tu, Manchu, Uyghur, Yugur, Bonan, Mongolian, Salar, and Kazakh minorities.

Shaanxi is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province.

Shaanxi (and the city of Xi'An therein) are considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Thirteen feudal dynasties established their capitals in this province during a span of more than 1100 years, from the Zhou dynasty to the Tang dynasty. It is also the starting point of the Silk Road which leads to Europe, Arabia and Africa.

During the Mongol rule in the 13th century, Shaanxi became a provincial unit. In the ensuing years, wars and famine had decimated and depopulated the province. As a result, large populations of Muslims, or Hui people, emerged, as evident today. Under the Ming dynasty, Shaanxi was incorporated into Gansu but was again separated in the Qing dynasty.

The northern part of Shaanxi is cold in the winter and very hot in summer with dry winter and spring. Its southern portion generally receives more rain. Annual mean temperature is roughly between 9°C and 16°C with January temperature ranging from −11°C to 3.5°C and July temperature ranging from 21°C to 28°C.