China Cruise Insight from Seabourn’s Destination Master
Seabourn Destination Master Peter Cox gives some insight below on why a cruise to China should be in your future…
Although China has this incredible and ancient civilization that flourished when the Greeks and Romans enjoyed theirs, and there certainly remain many sites that represent this rich heritage all over China, a coastal cruise – with the exception of the pre/post Beijing stay – will hardly bring guests near those sites that filled the Beijing Olympics media travelogues. Yet, it is China’s coast that gave birth to and nourished this awakening giant, which came out of the post-Mao dark ages only a few decades ago.
While, centuries ago, the centers of civilization flourished inland, it’s the fertile flood plains of the Yangtze River delta that fed those civilizations, thanks to the Grand Canal, this amazing lifeline, over 1100 miles long and dug at the time civilization was just dawning in Europe. It is on the coast that foreign concessions flourished after the Emperor was forced to open up to foreign trade following the Opium Wars. And, in recent times, it’s again China’s coast that has absorbed the millions of workers migrating from the interior countryside to feed the needs of an exploding industrial revolution that has stunned the world. While we will enjoy Beijing for its cultural and historical significance, we especially will explore the coast, with its glossy Western veneer, in search of a better understanding of China — a nation that will somehow affect each of us personally in the decades ahead.
Tags: china cruise, cruise itineraries, Peter A.M. Cox, Peter Cox, Seabourn destination services, Seabourn Odyssey Journeys, Seabourn Personnel, world cruises
