The renovated luxury yacht "Yangtze Princess" commenced operations on the Yangtze River on Saturday, carrying 132 passengers from Malaysia, Europe, and the United States to witness the natural beauty of the Three Gorges.

New services and facilities have been incorporated on the yacht, including Chinese massage parlors, more satellite TV programs and a British-made fire alarm system.

The yacht left Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, at 4 p.m. and would reach its destination, Chongqing, on Jan. 23.

The yacht is one of a fleet of 18 owned by the Changjiang (or Yangtze) Overseas Travel Corp. There are approximately 54 luxury yachts operating on the 6,300-kilometer river.

The travel company said the demand for tickets on luxury yachts has been exceptionally high since the Yangtze River was dammed last year in preparation for the building of the gigantic Three Gorges Dam project.

The picturesque Three Gorges is a famous attraction for tourists both from China and overseas.

(People?s Daily January 20, 2003)