Guangdong couple set sail on adventure of a lifetime
Zhou Xianjun and his wife Guan Weining left Guangdong's provincial capital for Yokohama, Japan, on May 13, for their Global Voyage for Peace.
Zhou, 67, and Guan, 61, are the eldest couple from the mainland to board the boat for a cruise around the world, which disembarked on May 14 and will return on Aug 25.
Costing more than 500,000 yuan ($71,428), the voyage will last 105 days and take them to more than 20 countries and regions around the world.
The cruise ship will dock in five continents, sail three oceans and pass through the Suez and Panama canals.
Major destinations include Singapore, Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, the United States, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada and Japan.
The couple will spend about two months at sea, a period in which Zhou intends to brush up on his computer skills, workout in the ship's gym, write a diary and make new friends.
He even brought a 4,000-yuan Gaohu, a traditional Cantonese musical instrument, and a national flag aboard in a bid to introduce Cantonese music to each port city.
Zhou, a business executive in Maoming city, believes the round-the-world cruise will further enrich his knowledge and benefit his future business development plans.
He now operates several chemical plants in western Guangdong.
"It is an investment," he said of the adventure ahead, "instead of expenditure."
The price of the round-the-world cruise is roughly equivalent to a decade of income for local families.
Zhou said the lavish holiday was a reward for his wife, who he married with no money to his name 38 years ago. "It's time for us to enjoy life a bit more," he said.
Zhou was born in Guanxi Zhuang autonomous region, but grew up in Guangdong.
China Daily
(China Daily 06/06/2008 page6)
