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Find out if a slow but fascinatingly timeless cruise on China's Yangtze River will be fun for families with children -- and why.

The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world. Starting in the icy mountains of Tibet, it runs for almost 4,000 miles until it empties into the sea at Shanghai. Serving as the highway of China, it acts as the dividing line between north and south. It is also the site of what will become the largest dam in the world: The Sanxia or Three Gorges Dam. The dam is located at the head of the famous Three Gorges scenic area in China, an unspoiled natural wonder.

My family and I recently took a cruise along the Yangtze River. We began in Wuhan and traveled upstream to Chongqing (the boats can't go any farther than Chongqing, it's not deep enough) for a five-night, six-day journey.

Depending on your schedule, budget and children's temperaments, there are a variety of travel choices including a local passenger boat which makes no stops, and a high-speed hovercraft. The one I recommend is the slowest: to go upstream with a tour boat, which makes several guided land excursions en route. The tour boats ensure that you go through all three gorges during the day, whereas on some faster modes of transport, families will go through at least one gorge at night.

Zen Approach to Cruising

The tour boats come in various classes. I was on one of the Victoria Cruise Line ships, all five star, well run and comfortable, with about 80 cabins each. I thought it was a good deal for what you get (bought in China, prices vary from US$80-US$135/night, all-inclusive). In addition to the three meals a day and shore excursions with a guide, the boats themselves offer various entertainments: mahjongg lessons (the gambling passion of China, kind of a cross between gin rummy and dominos, played with tiles); calligraphy lessons, enthusiastic karaoke bars, and my personal favorite, Chinese massages, called qigong (pronounced chee-gong), which are very deep and feel great.

Although there weren't many families on board during my cruise, it did seem very family-friendly. The boats are big, which means a lot of running-around room, but they are not the sports and entertainment palaces disguised as some American mega-cruise ships. Some kids might complain of boredom, especially if the weather is bad, but various shore excursions will take up much of the day. The excursions were fascinating to me, but could be tiring for little ones. However, between card games, calligraphy lessons, and possibly hanging out on the bridge with the Captain, I think kids will have a good time.

Touring Wuhan Before Embarcation

Wuhan, where the journey starts, is a city of revolutionary importance in China. It is the site of Mao's famous swim in the Yangtze when he was 77 years old, done to demonstrate his health and vigor. (Shortly after that swim, he launched the 10-year nightmare known as the Cultural Revolution.) More recently, China's gold-medal Olympic diver is also from Wuhan. Aside from Mao's villa, which can be visited, there is the excellent Hubei Provincial Museum, well worth a look, and a beautiful old pagoda, the Yellow Crane Tower, dating from the 3rd century. The tour boats leave at night, so it's not hard to schedule some time for sightseeing.

The first day upriver the views from the boat are uninspiring, the landscape is flat, and the route is lined with factories and small towns. You will pass barges carrying coal and rice, sampans with families aboard, and varieties of river transport, from tour boats to police motor boats. The boat pulls up anchor during the wee hours in Yichang in order to go through the Gezhouba Dam the next morning.