Piano land, Gulangyu in Chinese, is the first cruise ship of the Xiamen-based Astro Ocean Cruise. [Photo/chinanews.com] 

Piano Land, a luxury cruise ship, carrying nearly 1,100 mariners and passengers, arrived at Shanghai Wusongkou Cruise Port on Nov 8, marking her maiden call in China's leading cruise port, according to Chinanews.

The 70,000-ton luxury ship, with a capacity of 1,880 passengers, is owned by Astro Ocean Cruise. With its headquarters established in Xiamen, the new cruise line was jointly funded by the China National Travel Service Group Corp and China COSCO Shipping Corp Ltd.

Passengers queue at an immigration inspection checkpoint in Shanghai, waiting to board the cruise ship. [Photo/chinanews.com]

By the end of the year, the home ports for the cruise ship will include Xiamen, Shenzhen, and Shanghai, and offer passengers various ship routes to Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia.

Chen Jian, Party Secretary of COSCO Shipping, a large-scale and comprehensive shipping enterprise, said that Shanghai is China's first cruise tourism area. The ship's first voyage will mark the beginning of a new chapter for China's cruise industry.

Li Ming, principal of the Astro Ocean Cruise, noted that Piano land will offer passengers a one-stop service integrating dining, living, traveling, shopping and entertaining. It aims to further strengthen our core competitive advantages to develop the national cruise industry in China.