China is probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think of taking a luxurious cruise. But as the middle class expands and more disposable income is at hand, more and more Chinese people are deciding to venture out in the world – or at least to other parts of China – via ship. In fact, according to the Global Times, 2011 saw an 18.8% increase in cruise ship stopovers, with some 95 ships using China's ports to launch their journeys. Whether it is a cruise down the Yangtze or a two month long trek around the ocean, here are some of the best cruise destinations that use China as their jumping off point.

1) China to Japan
The New Jianzhen ship was one of the first passenger boats to sail between China and Japan in 1994. Since then, others have jumped on board (pun fully intended) to make the roughly eighty hour round-trip ride as comfortable as possible. Royal Caribbean, the most popular cruise line in China, even launched an extended six-day cruise from the ever-busy hub of Xiamen port. In what's called "catering to your customers," they even had Taiwanese singer-songwriter Fei Yu-Ching perform on board their "Legend of the Seas" ship last year.

If you prefer something a bit less dramatic, the resumption of the Shanghai-Nagasaki passenger ferry (after a thirty-year hiatus) late last year might be more tempting. The twenty hour journey only costs about 1500 RMB, as opposed to the Shanghai-Osaka leg which takes forty-eight hours and costs about 2000 RMB (for cattle – ahem, economy – class). Additionally, Travel China Guide's "The Yangjin" sails from Tianjin to Kobe in about two and a half days. Tickets there will run you between 1600 – 6000 RMB, depending on your cabin class.

2) China Yangtze river cruise
One of the most recommended cruises in China, this is the perfect way to see a part of this country that few people really get to explore. The longest river in Asia at over 6,300 kilometres, the Yangtze begins in the Tibetan Plateau and flows all the way to the East China Sea. Perhaps the most famous section of this cruise is the Three Gorges (and their subsequent dam), called Wuxia, Qutang and Xiling.

Most people don't travel the entire length, and instead opt for the more easily accessible eastern half. Most of the boats for this section can be found in places like Nanjing and Jiangyin and travel towards Wuhan. However, it is actually the western half of the Yangzte that is more breathtaking, which will take you from Wanzhou to Yichang (this is where you will find the Three Gorges). Either way, it's a great multi-day way to see the sights and escape from the usual noise.

3) China to South Korea
South Korea is one of the more convenient cruise destinations when coming from China, as options are fairly plentiful. The journey usually takes about eighteen hours, with the most popular South Korean destination city being Inchon by a landslide. Places such as China Highlights, in fact, only offer services to Inchon. Granted, they make it easy for you by offering a wide range of  Chinese coastal cities as your jumping off place, including Dandong, Dalian, Weihai and Qingdao.

Travel China Guide also offers Pyongtaek and Mokpo as South Korean destination cities, with beginning Chinese ports in Shidao, Rizhao and Shanghai. Prices range based on cabin class and final destination port, but are generally between 1,000-2,000 RMB. This is a relatively quick journey, which makes it ideal for getting away for one of those shorter Chinese holidays.

4) Hong Kong to… everywhere
If you just can't decide exactly where you want to go, don't worry – you don't have to. Companies like Oceania Cruises sometimes offer a more generic "Asia tour" that essentially allows you to island hop all over the continent. One eighteen day cruise takes you from Hong Kong to Taiwan to Japan to Shanghai to South Korea and finally to Tianjin, from where you will then presumably want to bop over to Beijing for a quick look.

If you really want to get ambitious, try one of the United Kingdom's famed "love cruises" that can last up to sixty days. Yes, sixty days. For their more modest (ahem) forty-three night cruises, you will be taken from Hong Kong to (deep breath): Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, the American Samoa Islands, French Polynesia, and the United States. Needless to say, this kind of cruise gets a little pricy – so pricy, in fact, that you have to usually call the cruise lines to get a personalised quote. You know, so the riff raff can't dream. What it basically comes down to, though, is that Hong Kong is just the window to the world.

A rising trend

With almost one million mainland Chinese travellers visiting other countries in 2010 (a 20% increase over 2009's figures, according to the Global Times), more and more cruise lines are scrambling to use China as their home base and get a slice of this growing potential market. While there are currently only four main Chinese ports (Shanghai, Tianjin, Xiamen and Sanya), USA Today reports that at least seven other Chinese cities have plans for building lavish cruise ports to draw cruise companies to this part of the world.

And it's not only cruise lines that will benefit, but Chinese tourism as well. "The social benefits are more important than the economic returns, as we want to raise our city's image to both travellers and investors," asserts the office director of the Tianjin port, Ning Fang. It seems as though the growth of cruise culture in China is making everyone happy.
 

Related links
Making Travelling Part of the Adventure: Sleeper Buses in China
How to Survive an Overnight Train Trip in China
China Travel Necessities: Seven Forget-Me-Nots for China

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: cruises in China China travel tourism in China Chinese boat cruises travelling from China Yangtze River cruise