A Chongqing-based company has announced plans to build China's largest luxury cruise liner on the Yangtze River.

Work began on the construction of the ship on Monday and is expected to be finished in early 2009, according to Dongjiang Industrial Co. Ltd.

The ship, named "Kaizhen", will cost 85 million yuan (about 11.3 million U.S. dollars) to build and will hold 426 passengers and 181 crew members. It will be 133.8 meters in length, 19.8 meters in width and reach 26 km per hour.

"We plan to launch the new ship for our tourism service on the Yangtze River in order to be well positioned for the golden tourism peak season before the 2010 Shanghai World Expo," the company said in a statement.

The luxury liner will have a five-storey complex that includes a theater.

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2007)