Development History of Three Gorges Cruise Ships

Development History of Three Gorges Cruise Ships – In Ancient Times

In ancient times, the emperors took the wooden structured cruise ships while his inspection tour to southern China. Those wooden structured ships were the oldest cruise ships in China. Those ships were not equipped with power unit. They were motivated by wind force and labor. 150 years ago, the upstream cruise ships could only motivated by trackers who pulled the ship difficultly with desolate work songs. It would spend one month from Yichang to Chongqing (about 500 kilometers).

Development History of Three Gorges Cruise Ships – Before the Founding of PRC

Chongqing was established as a trade port in Beijing Treaty in 1890. A British businessman named Reed manufactured a steam ship called Lichuan which is 17 meters long in Shanghai. Lichuan sailed into Sichuan Province on February 14 1898 and spent 25 days sail to Chongqing. Lichuan was the first cruise ship of Three Gorges. Passengers on the ships sailed to Chongqing from Shanghai had to change to boats when they arrived at Wuhan, and then the boats would carry them to Chongqing. It was very difficult and dangerous to survive the narrow gorges and dangerous rapids. The water flows rapidly in the waterway between Yichang and Chongqing. There were many dangerous reefs and rapids, the ships had to be stopped in nights. Ships could not sail in winters at that time.

Development History of Three Gorges Cruise Ships – After the Founding of PRC

After the founding of People's Republic of China in 1949, the government put great effort in the regulation of the waterway of Yangtze River. Navigation on Yangtze River was available all year around. The navigation in nights was also available. The navigation condition was further improved after the construction of Gezhouba Dam.

Development History of Three Gorges Cruise Ships – After the Reform and Opening-up

After the reform and opening-up in 1978, China's economy has developed rapidly. The transport infrastructure construction was build up gradually. The transportation industry shrunk gradually while the there are more cruise ships for travel and sightseeing.

The operation of Yangtze River Cruise Ships in 1983 marked the pattern of Yangtze tourism becoming more diversified and Yangtze tourism stepped into a new stage of development. With the construction of Three Gorges Dam more international visitors would like to take a cruise ship to enjoy the beautiful landscape of Three Gorges.

So far, there are many standard international cruise ships on Yangtze River. There are even five-star luxury cruise ships with complete facilities and high-quality service. Visitors could enjoy a leisure vacation while they appreciate the amazing landscapes of Three Gorges.