After a short winter break, the river cruise ship Virtuous Quzhou  on March 14 once again set sail from the riverside wharf in Hangzhou -  capital city of East China's Zhejiang province - with 72 tourists on board, embarking on a four-day and three-night journey along the poetic and charming Qiantang River.

As the only water sightseeing route directly from Quzhou to Hangzhou, tourists can take the Virtuous Quzhou and other cruise ships to visit more than 10 famous scenic spots, admire the Qiantang River and experience the beauty of nature.

According to cruise line manager Xu Yingyan, the four-day journey, combines land and water tours. On day one the passengers visited the Xin'an River, Fuchun River and the Shuimenting Pavilion, while on the second day they can elect to take a bus to visit the millennium-old Longyou Grottoes and the Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone.

"This is the first trip this year and everyone is very enthusiastic about it. The tourists are mainly middle-aged and elderly people who like to travel," Xu said.

The manager said the cruise ship has a total of two floors and has a capacity for 130 passengers but considering the need for novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control measures, only just over 70 people boarded this time.