First cars, now boats as middle class takes to the water
Notoriously unsafe waterways fail to dampen enthusiasm for the popular pursuit
China's wealthiest people are increasingly adding yachts to their shopping lists.
As the middle class grows, boating has become a popular pastime, along with other Western pursuits, such as skiing.
According to customers and vendors at this weekend's indoor-outdoor second annual China International Boat and Yacht Exhibition in Beijing, boats are a big draw, even though they cost up to 100,000 yuan (HK$94,370) and China's waterways are notoriously unsafe.
'Chinese people have enough to eat and drink, and almost everyone drives a car. Now we want boats for recreation,' said shopper Wang Xinhua, from the Shandong province city of Weihai, as he examined a 'water motorcycle' display at the exhibition.
Wang Yanping, a saleswoman with Jinggang, a 20-year-old mainland company that makes 10,000-yuan boats, said companies were the main buyers of Chinese yachts and motorboats, using them for fishing and transportation.
Recreational clubs were a secondary source of buyers, the saleswoman said.
Li Hongwei, assistant manager with Beijing Jingcheng River Basin Development, came to the exhibition to see merchandise for a water sports club in Suzhou, which is laced with boat-friendly canals.
Water-skiing clubs were also appearing around lakes, including two in suburban Beijing and one in Dongguan, said Michael Chow Chiyan, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Water Ski Association and owner of the four-year-old Dongguan Resort.
But he said that even though some of the world's best water skiers came from China, most people either could not afford the sport or did not want the physical rigor.
Like Chinese car shoppers, those buying pleasure boats cared primarily about price and reliability, said yacht designer and prospective buyer Song Jinsheng, from the Liaoning province port city of Jinzhou. However, he said they were starting to pay more attention to the colours and outside design. Mr Song attended the exhibition to interest boatmakers in his designs.
But He Weihong, general manager of Guangzhou David Marine Equipment, said that despite attractive waterways, such as the Pearl River in Guangdong province, boating would never catch on in China like other sources of modern recreation.
Mr He said that the main problem was the lack of moorage facilities, which made it dangerous to dock.
'You park your boat one night and it's gone the next day,' he said.
