The Great Ride Of China

In the summer of 2013 Amy Mathieson and Buck Perley set out on a record breaking, 21,000 mile, 146 day motorcycle journey through 33 provinces in China. From grass plains to deserts to megacities to remote villages on the Himalayan Steppe, this book will take you on a vivid journey through China's diverse landscapes and cultures. Through a combination of visuals and the written word, the reader is offered an unfiltered view of this multi-faceted country with its five thousand-year history, caught at a time of unprecedented economic change.

This book includes three short essays narrated from the author's perspective. The first describes being a passenger, the second details challenges of the road, and the final essay explores a unique form of traditional Chinese architecture. Together, these provide a diverse collection of insights into life on the road in China.

The Great Ride Of China: A Visual Journey is a photo book documenting one couple's 146 day adventure around China on a single motorbike. Through images and three short stories the reader is taken on an unfiltered journey across this multi-faceted country with its five thousand-year history and caught at a time of unprecedented economic change.
Half British half Chinese, Amy spent her childhood years in Switzerland, moving back to her country of birth, the UK, in her teens. She studied architecture at Oxford Brookes University and went on to live and work in Oxford for several years. Wanting to reconnect with her Chinese roots, Amy decided to move to Beijing in 2010 to pursue her interest in traditional architecture and building restoration. It is in Beijing that Amy first met Buck, at the time a marketing manager working for her uncle's company. Buck, an avid motorcyclist and long-distance hiker, introduced Amy to motorcycling by taking her on a series of trips over increasingly large distances along the east coast of China. In 2013, having grown too comfortable in their expat lives, the couple decided it was time to experience more of China. This trip turned into a 146 day, 21,000 mile motorcycle adventure to all 33 provinces, breaking the Guinness world record for the longest motorcycle journey within a single country. In 2016 Buck and Amy were married and they now live, with their two Beijing cats Bean and Simba, in the Bay Area in northern California.