1984 Trip on Yangzi - Chongqing to Shanghai

5. Passenger Boat on the Yangzi River

As you can see our boat had four decks. We are on the top deck in first class. Only first-class passengers are allowed in the first-class area. First-class has two bunks to a room. Second-class has four bunks to a room with a bathroom reserved for second-class. Third-class has 12 bunks to a room, while fourth-class has 24 bunks to a room. Fifth class gets to sleep on any flat spot they can find but not in first or second-class area. There were lots of animals on board not all alive. There was a dead skinned dog hanging on a hook that someone would eat later. The river water is quite muddy and there were many things floating in the water including dead pigs. On occasion we would pass by ferryboats taking people across the river.