China: In Search of Shangri-La
Some of the best road trips ignite from a single spark. For me, that spark hit in the summer of 2023 in Chongli, China. I was on a photo gig and my guide, Ibin, was one of those guys you instantly click with. One evening, over a few beers, he started swiping through photos on his phone. This wasn’t your everyday vacation slideshow but pure, unfiltered adventure. He had pictures of ribbons of asphalt clinging to sheer cliffs, remote villages that looked straight out of a movie, and snow-capped peaks that would make the Rockies look tame.
“I’ve been riding these roads for 10 years,” he said with a grin. “I’ve got a route that you won’t find in any guidebook.” That’s all it took. That same night, I messaged my riding buddies—Thomas, Oliver, and Ralf—back in Switzerland: “Guys, how about a China trip next fall?” Their replies came back stoked. We locked in October 2024.
Planning a motorcycle tour in China was a whole different story. It was a nightmare of red tape that makes the DMV look like a walk in the park. To get a temporary Chinese motorcycle license, we needed an officially notarized translation of our international driving permits. We thought we had it all figured out.
Then, in Beijing, a guide took one look at our paperwork and delivered the gut punch. The official stamp on our translated licenses was useless. After a frantic, last-minute scramble, we finally got our Chinese permits, only to find a fatal flaw printed in black and white: “Valid for rental cars only.”
So, after flying halfway across the globe, our dream of riding through China was hanging by a thread, and we hadn’t even swung a leg over a bike. The question wasn’t what roads we would ride, but if we would be allowed to ride at all.
Motorcycles & Gear
2024 Kove 500X
2024 Honda CB500X
Helmet: iXS Venture 1.0
Jacket: iXS Jacket
Pants: iXS Classic AR Jeans
Boots: iXS Classic Oiled Leather
Gloves: iXS Glove
Comm System: Lexi G2P
From Lijiang to Shangri-La
We landed in Lijiang with a sense of relief. Ibin greeted us warmly at the airport and, by evening, we were strolling through the old town’s cobblestone alleys, crossing small canals by ornate bridges, and sampling local dishes. The next day, we went to pick up our bikes at a local rental shop: three Chinese-made Kove 500X models and a Honda CB500X. We tightened a few screws to mend minor mechanical issues and attached our luggage.
Paperwork was unexpectedly lax. There were no formal ID checks, no deposits, no questions asked. And, to our surprise, no one was interested in our non-valid driver’s licenses! For Western riders like us, it felt surreal, yet it also gave us a refreshing sense of freedom.
Lijiang sits at 7,900 feet, but we needed to prepare for huge altitude swings on this trip, from as high as 15,400 feet to subtropical valleys at 6,600 feet. Temperatures could range from below freezing to a pleasant 77 degrees. With our bikes sorted, we left the city, anxious for the adventure ahead.