Passenger boats sail into sunset
(LIANG YU)
08/10/2001
To Xu Yichang, director of Shiliupu Port, nothing is more distressing than the sluggish traffic at the place he runs. The almost empty waiting room and decreased staff are a common picture at the port, which used to be one of China's busiest passenger shipping stations. "It's a grievous scene if you have some idea of our past glory, but what is more discouraging is that we have no way out," said Xu. Fading business Statistics indicate that the over-130-year-old port handled more than 6.7 million passengers during its peak year 1988. In sharp contrast, last year it saw its passenger flow shrink to about 1.3 million, and the figure is expected to keep falling to below 1 million this year. A saleswoman at the port said the daily revenue of her counter, selling mainly small articles needed on the voyage, has slid from more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,200) two or three years ago to less than 1,500 yuan (US$180) at present. In June Shenyong Line, the port's oldest route that runs between Shanghai and Ningbo, ended its 130-year-old operation. Increasingly heavy pressure from other means of transport and growing operational costs have made passenger ship companies operating the route vulnerable. Changes to the route's passenger flow show the awkward situation: the route on average saw some 900,000 passengers a year in the mid-1990s, but only about 42,000 passengers were spotted during the first five months of this year. Unable to stand the declining number of passengers or to survive the market competition, the companies had to withdraw one by one. Shenyong Line is by no means the only case: more than 15 routes at the Shiliupu Port have had the same outcome since the 1980s, and now only six are still operating, Xu said. Shifting transport "The prosperity of passenger shipping in the past was largely due to the unfledged development of other transportation means at that time," said Zhen Hong of Shanghai Maritime University. The railway and highway system along the Yangtze River and in the coastal areas was then still in its infancy, which made people prefer more convenient water transportation. However, the development of land transportation in recent years, linking Shanghai more closely with neighbouring areas like Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, has posed an increasingly severe threat to passenger shipping, which can hardly compete in terms of speed or cost, according to Zhen. It takes a passenger from Nantong, Jiangsu Province, about seven hours to arrive in Shanghai via a passenger ship for around 45 yuan (US$5) in a 3rd-class cabin, yet only about four hours are needed if he takes an expressway coach, and the cost is almost the same. The facilities of most of the passenger ships that are still operating are out of date, and entertainment is lacking, causing people to lose interest. However, it seems that some still stick to water transportation. "When you get on a coach, you may feel packed because there is not much room for you to move, yet you can be at ease on board ship," said middle aged Du Jihua of Nantong. "That's why I prefer taking a ship if I don't have to rush," said Du, who admitted however that the hygienic conditions of many passenger ships needed to be improved. Some elderly people agree. "We don't like high-intensity land transport, and the slow and easy way on the water suits us well," said retired teacher Liu Huaizhong. New way out In order to catch up with land transport, updating equipment and putting on speed is a top priority. It is vitally important to combine water transport with the fast development of the tourist industry because the tourism market needs diversified means of transportation, according to Zhen. The city government is planning to reshape local ports in a bid to revive the passenger shipping industry. Such efforts include restructuring Waihongqiao port, which is near the Bund, into an international passenger shipping centre providing services for companies operating varied international routes. Shiliupu port will be reshaped into a place that highlights its tourist sightseeing function, and Wusong port in north Shanghai is expected to take over the original passenger shipping of Shiliupu.
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