china yacht builders

YihongYachts

YIHONG YACHTS

72 FT CATAMARAN

New Arrival

GLOBAL TOP BRAND

CUSTOMIZE YOUR OWN

About yihong.

YiHongYachts shipyard (“Yihong”) was founded in 2005, it is one of the four largest luxury yachts manufacturer in China. And it is the first Chinese yacht builder launched on the stock market successfully, its stock number “835558”.

• 0 % China Market
• 0 + Designed for Sale

FLOATING HOUSE

NEWS & EVENTS

YiHong Yachts will launch the "MARS PENINSULA" project in 2022, opening up the future of island life

YiHong Yachts won the "2018 Most Growing New Third Board Company" Golden Horn Award

YiHong Yachts attended the 2019 International Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports Conference

Follow us on Instagram！

STAY UP TO DATE

Get the latest model and company news, invitations to events, and behind-the-scenes stories on craftsmanship and innovation.

• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.

• Chinese, Simplified

Yacht Manufacturing

Yacht and boat manufacturing dates back to the beginnings of Sino Eagle Group company, and has remained a core business within the group since 1985. We are currently one of the only Chinese boat builders and yacht manufacturers which offers the in-depth knowledge and experience in advanced yacht building practices, and full in-house manufacturing capabilities. With our new facilities for boat building in China, combined with our skilled and experienced labor force,we can cater to all your yacht production needs, from custom and high-tech small scale yacht manufacturing, to mass production large scale yacht manufacturing projects.

Sino Eagle Group is an experienced chinese yacht manufacturing company, and a premier yacht manufacturer in China, manufacturing a the complete line of world class Aquila power catamarans from 28 to 70 foot long.  

76M san bao

94.7m red star, 88.5m illusion plus, 92m ninetytwo, 108.8m tomorrow, 115m estatement, unlimited technology.

Pride Mega Yachts are world-class, competitive mega yacht builders, located in China’s Yantai Peninsula in the Bohai Gulf. Pride Mega Yachts designs and builds its yachts with an experienced, international team of world-class consultants and designers according to European standards. The use of tested, state-of-the art technologies allows for an unwavering focus on innovation and sustainability.

UNLIMITED PERFECTION

With more than 25 years of experience working in the superyacht industry, luxury shipbuilders Pride Mega Yachts have numerous high-quality international projects to their name. China is traditionally not associated with the global yachting industry but that is changing fast. Both country and Pride Mega Yachts have an obsession with perfectionism and a strong drive to significantly contribute to the qualitative aspects of the world economy.

UNLIMITED PROFESSIONALISM

The unrivalled level of professionalism is reflected in the high levels of naval expertise in the fields of engineering, construction, methodology, research and development, design and production. The desire to consistently delivers the very best drives in the constant search for excellence that is required for the creation of superior-quality superyachts. Extraordinary and meticulous craftsmanship forms the indispensable basis for the realisation of the largest, finest, unlimited high-end super yachts.

UNLIMITED IN SERVICE PROVISION

Flexible and client driven, Pride Mega Yachts is constantly seeking the best product and the best solution for the client. From the design process to the construction phase and after completion, Pride Mega Yachts knows that the customer’s experience with the shipyard is as important as the end product. It is therefore always fully focused on realising client wishes, while maintaining the highest levels of quality and safety on board.

UNLIMITED CHOICE

Luxury yacht builders, Pride Mega Yachts knows how keen owners are to feel proud every time they step onto their yacht to enjoy maritime life with friends and family. In order to realise this aspiration as rapidly as possible, Pride Mega Yachts builds its yachts on the basis of a fully tested and engineered standard platform, with several superyachts in various stages of completion at all times. Owners can decide at which stage they want to step in, depending on their wishes regarding time, budget and specifications.

UNLIMITED CUSTOMISATION

From superyachts being under construction based on pre-designed lay-out and outfit to fully customised yachts, Pride Mega Yachts can accommodate all a future owner may require at any stage in the yacht building process. There is no limit to available possibilities in terms of nautical architecture, interior design or technical equipment. All yachts are developed with world-class consultants and designers, paying meticulous attention to Pride Mega Yachts exacting standards. The result is a yacht that meets European standards, while maintaining competitive prices.

UNLIMITED INNOVATION

At Pride Mega Yachts, our team of specialist yacht builders use innovative designs and the finest materials to manufacture our range of custom built yachts. We recognise the importance of customisation when purchasing your own private mega yacht. Therefore, our goal at Pride Mega Yachts is to realise clients’ dreams, transforming complex ideas into a reality, whilst ensuring an outstanding client-driven customer service. Our accomplished team of experts ensures the highest quality experience throughout the entire process and gives you the opportunity to customise any aspect of the project at any stage.

UNLIMITED FLEXIBILITY

Combining the latest state-of-the-art technology and our team of world-class consultants, designers and engineers, Pride Mega Yachts provides an unparalleled fully comprehensive service that gives owners the flexibility to personalise every aspect of their yacht, from the technical specifications, to the interior design and special features. We are committed to providing you with a complete service, resulting in a personalised unique superyacht at the most competitive price.

UNLIMITED DEDICATION

We pride ourselves on our high-quality, client-orientated services. As part of our custom yacht sales strategy, we give owners illimitable customisation options. From the outset, choose the preferred layout, the technical specifications and then personalise the interior design and furnishing. Owners collaborate with our experienced consultants to create the perfect yacht suited to their requirements and expectations. Buyers can also optimise the special features aboard their custom built yachts and influence the project according their budget and time.

88.5M illusion Plus

• Grand Voyager 144
• M/Y STAR 138
• COLUMBUS 90
• EXPEDITION 110
• MAGELLAN 110
• Kingship 40
• DISCOVERY 75/90
• OCEAN SUV 90/116/150
• ESSENCE 143
• SAILING YACHT 120
• KINGSHIP 138
• KingCAT 40M
• M/Y MAMAMIA 140
• M/Y WESTERN ISLES 159
• M/Y AMANTE 146
• Commercial Vessels
• Rescue Runner
• ER Workboats
• Construction

Asia’s most modern yacht building facility in close proximity to Hong Kong and Macau.

1 st   asian yacht-builder to achieve lloyds, the highest yacht building standard,  mca compliance for charter., 1 st  yacht builder in asia specializing in constructing superyachts with steel hull and aluminium superstructure, iso 9001:2015 quality assurance and management system certifed shipyard by bureau veritas, kingship’s mission is to create a joinder of the venerable tradition of northern european design and western technological advances in luxury yacht construction practices with the economical, high skilled and dedicated artisan of china., customizations, kingship’s new designs are precisely designed and engineered to bring the fun back to yachting. performance and space are maximum with minimal operating  and operating costs., refit projects, kingship’s refit team assure the owners a brand new outdoor and indoor experience. to guarantee top quality, our team had worked closely with the owner’s captain and the crew throughout the refit process, from determining the paint system to relaunching the boat..

M/Y GRAND VOYAGER 144

For sale: under construction.

Best Shipyard Location

Headquarter in Hong Kong

Shipyard in ZhongShan (22°34’29.4″N, 113°29’36.9″E)

Drive to Kingship shipyard

• 90 mins from Guangzhou BaiYun International Airport to Shipyard
• 90 mins from Shenzhen BaoAn International Airport to Shipyard
• 90 mins from Macau International Airport to shipyard
• 90 mins from Zhuhai Airport to Shipyard

Take ferry to Kingship shipyard

• 90 mins from Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal to Kingship Shipyard
• 70 mins from Hong Kong International Airport to Kingship Shipyard
• 60 mins from Shenzhen Baoan International Airport to Kingship Shipyard

Ocean Cross Bridge Highway

• 120 mins from Hong Kong City Center to Shipyard (via HZM bridge)
• 70 mins from ShenZhen City Center to Shipyard (Open in 2021)

Best Motor Yacht Builder Awards

Kingship Marine Limited

Address : 1512, 15th Floor, Chevalier Commercial Center, 8 Wang Hoi Road, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel : +852 2530 4848 Fax : +852 2530 4433 Email : [email protected]

© 2024 Kingship Marine Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Fujian Yihong Yacht Corp

The 'Creme De La Creme' of Aquitalia A masterpiece inspired by WATER

Made to Contemporary Neo-Italian Yachts

Let Your Yachting Experience Beyond Charming Comfort & Expectation

Aquitalia 78ft Yacht

Aquitalia 68ft Yacht

Aquitalia 64ft Yacht

Product Category High quality, high service

Hot Products Leading thinkers teach digital talent

Welcome to the yacht world! We're professional yachts manufacturers and suppliers in China, specialized in providing high quality yachts. We warmly welcome you to buy yachts for sale here from our factory.

From a unique semi-convertible fly-bridge and a powerful but efficient propulsion system, to...

A comfortable, elegant, and truly sea-going affordable luxury yacht, the Aquitalia 85 reflects...

The modern design hardtop is not only a striking feature but also extremely functional providing...

Fully equipped for luxury cruising and entertaining, this is yet another stunning illustration...

Built to the highest standards of design, performance and quality, the Aquitalia 110 is a world...

Latest News High-quality products, superb technology

​The Lake Power Boat is a small (cruiser class) personal watercraft that is made by Power Boat Co...

Mar 11, 2021

Mar 10, 2021

​When looking for a Passenger Dinner Boat rental, the first thing you should consider is if you w...

Mar 09, 2021

There are many people who are looking forward to traveling on a luxurious yacht. Luxury Yachts ar...

Get In Touch

If you have any enquiry, please do not hesitate to contact us. Leave us a message and we will get back to you shortly.

Contact info

Company address 505 Unit, ITG Business Center, No.669 Sishui Road, Huli District, Xiamen City, China

Telephone +8618906007239

Mail Us [email protected]

Working Hours Mon-Fri: 10:00-18:00 Sat-Sun: 10:00-14:00

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Conservation and Philanthropy
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• BOAT Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• BOATPro Home
• Superyacht Insight
• Global Order Book
• Premium Content
• Product Features
• Testimonials
• Pricing Plan
• Subscriber Login
• Tenders & Equipment

A new dawn: Inside China's rising superyacht market

China emerged as the great new hope for superyachting after the 2008 crash. One spectacular false dawn later, could it finally be taking off?

If 1421 was the zenith of China’s long yachting history, when legendary eunuch admiral Zheng He purportedly led his “treasure fleet” of hundreds of junks around the world (in the process, according to one historical account, discovering America 70 years before Columbus), 2013 could be considered the nadir. For that was when President Xi Jinping – only months into office – began a crackdown on “tigers and flies”, a euphemism for those government officials and businessmen (the genres blur in China) whose greed and corruption had begun to stir public anger.

Part of his anti-corruption crusade was an eye-watering 44 per cent import tax on luxury goods and a clampdown on lavish hospitalities and personal spending. Ostentatious symbols of wealth – fast cars, lavish banquets, his-and-hers diamond-studded Rolexes, Learjet jaunts, $20,000 gift-wrapped bottles of Rémy Martin and 50-year-old Moutai rice wine, and, of course, superyachts – became highly conspicuous and drew the wrath of the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

“We must uphold the fighting of tigers and flies at the same time, resolutely investigating law-breaking cases of leading officials and also earnestly resolving the unhealthy tendencies and corruption problems which happen all around people,” Xi said at the time. Dozens have been investigated, arrested and jailed, including top ministers – so many the Qincheng maximum security prison in Beijing for disgraced senior Communist Party officials ran out of cells last year, according to credible reports. Orders for status-symbol trappings dropped off a cliff; Western luxury retailers and manufacturers saw exports nosedive.

The yacht market was especially devastated. It’s far harder to hide a superyacht than a diamond ring or a Porsche, after all. Prior to the crackdown, China’s boating sector had been inching its way towards some kind of momentum after its once illustrious sailing heritage, having been all but erased along with much of the country’s four millennia of history during Chairman Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, was resurrected for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Then the financial crisis struck the West, and China, with its seemingly armour-plated economy and near-double-digit growth, emerged as the great Eastern hope for leading yacht brands. Into the Chinese market sailed an international fleet of brokers and builders. The 14,500-kilometre coastline, stretching from the Bohai Gulf in the chilly north to the Gulf of Tonkin in the tropical south, was eyed as a prime playground for China’s new billionaire class, which grew to 338 individuals in 2017, according to data company Wealth-X. Estimates put the number of millionaires in the country at more than 1.5 million. China was about to go boating again.

Exhibitions were hastily organised, rendezvous booked and property developers broke ground on scores of prestige marinas, charging top-dollar membership and mooring fees, many starting at ¥1 million (£110,000) a year. Local boatyards followed, laying keels of copied foreign and home-grown designs, some in joint ventures with overseas shipyards, many without.

The image-conscious Chinese super-rich responded in kind and started buying foreign-branded trophy boats at up to three times the market price, and moored them in the expensive marinas. Cost was not an issue. What mattered was so-called “face” or mianzi: the projection, and protection, of one’s reputation and social standing. In the West we call it ego.

A 2012 report by the China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association found that there were 3,000 yachts of all sizes in China, and estimated that this figure would rise to 100,000 by 2020, in a market worth €10 billion. The international boating industry was washed along by this giddy, irrational wave of hyperbole. Across the board, orders for smaller superyachts went from zero – zoom! – skywards.

Local yards benefited. After years of being ignored by the domestic market, in 2010 Chinese yard Heysea received eight orders for its 82 model before it had even finished the mould. A year after the financial crash in the West, meanwhile, China recorded sales of ¥4.15 billion (£450 million), according to local media reports. “After 2008, the yacht market took off because the West’s financial crisis had negligible impact in China,” says Sunseeker Asia’s Gordon Hui from his office in Hong Kong. Jona Kan, from Australian yard SilverYachts , adds that demand suddenly grew for superyacht dayboats on which Chinese businesspeople could entertain clients.

But Icarus had flown too close to the sun. Within a couple of years, the world’s financial woes started to penetrate China’s economic model. Jobs were slashed and inflation was on the rise. Yet for the wealthy Communist Party cadres and their tycoon chums, it was business as usual. The restive masses looked expectantly – and threateningly – to Beijing to bring such conspicuous consumption to heel. President Xi responded with a dragnet that claimed scores of high-profile scalps, sending the message loud and clear: in-your-face luxury would no longer be tolerated.

Brokers’ phones stopped ringing, builders’ order books took a hit and showrooms became wastelands. All of those contacted by Boat International for this article echoed almost verbatim the sentiment expressed by Sunseeker’s Hui: “After more than three years of the anti-graft policy, the Chinese boating market has come to a halt, with a 95 per cent drop-off in sales. It has been all but dead since 2015.”

Sunseeker , bought in 2013 by China’s fourth-richest man, Wang Jianlin, has closed two of its three dealerships in mainland China. At one point, China accounted for 15 per cent of Sunseeker’s global sales. “Now it’s less than five per cent,” says Hui. Several Chinese yacht builders have gone bankrupt as hefty value added tax and duties on imported parts such as engines rendered operations unviable. Marinas have battened down the hatches, slashing their prices by half to avoid the fate of Xiangshan Yacht Club in Fujian province; billed as Asia’s largest marina when it opened, it went bust in 2014.

Yet to solely blame the anti-corruption drive and the global financial crash for China’s slumbering boating market is misguided. Prior to Xi’s clean-up, there had been attempts to build a culture of private boating after the former leader Deng Xiaoping launched economic reforms in 1981. But those attempts failed, says Hong Kong-based yacht broker Mike Simpson, of Simpson Marine, one of the region’s biggest boat dealers. Simpson agreed the import tax on foreign boats has had a near fatal impact, but he says there were already major hurdles to developing the fledgling market. “We have to remember China is relatively new to boating,” says Simpson, who set up his company in Hong Kong in 1983. “It’s been developing in fits and starts. An obvious curb on its development has been the import ban on second-hand boats, which was there before the luxury goods tax.”

He adds: “The last two to three years have been pretty desperate. I don’t think anyone has made money. Everyone’s been spending money just to stay in business in China over the past few years.”

The lack of a boating culture is also commonly cited as one reason that’s holding back the Chinese market. In the West, yachting is all about relaxing fun in the sun, a weekend jaunt from one marina to a secluded cove or island, or for sailing boat owners, the thrill of stealing an opponent’s wind during a regatta. In China, owning a yacht has been all about the optics, or “face”, and viewed by the public as the exclusive preserve of the ultra-rich. But even among this demographic, interest is limited. According to Wealth-X, just two per cent of all Chinese UHNW individuals own or even have an interest in yachting, compared to 6.7 per cent globally.

“The perception among the Chinese is that boating is for the very wealthy,” says Rocky Wang, chief representative of Burgess in China. “Many Chinese have yet to grasp what boating is all about. Boating culture remains in its very early stages. Yachting is very new to them. Those Chinese who think about buying yachts continue to do so with mainly a business objective in mind. Buyers are business owners, investors and entrepreneurs, who use the yachts as dayboats to entertain, rarely overnighting on board.”

Of the 200 yachts in the southern boom city of Shenzhen, where Deng Xiaoping launched China’s opening up and reforms half a century ago, about 70 per cent never leave the yacht club. Instead, they serve as venues to host wealthy clients and government officials; one pontoon legend has it that some boats were bought without engines because their owners never entertained the idea of going to sea.

In China, building a $30 million marina with a plush clubhouse and spa is the easy part. Not so easy is attracting the essential supplemental services: repair yards and chandlers, navigation aids, charts, a coastguard service willing to assist the stranded sailor, sail training schools and so on. A lack of trained Chinese crew is also a major problem. In China there are an estimated 60,000 sailors, mostly of school age, attending small sailing centres and learning in dinghies. Crews experienced enough to handle a 60-metre-plus seagoing vessel are a rarity. “Chinese yacht owners must, therefore, import foreign crews with the expertise to maintain and sail boats, and this comes with visa application headaches,” says Simpson.

Then there is the maddening red tape. China guards its coastal waters like a hawk; try to sail a nautical mile off Qingdao beach or a cable or two up the coast from Sanya and you’ll have patrol boats stuffed to the gunnels with uniformed boarding parties bearing down on you demanding papers; a day’s sail is treated like an invasion or a desperate escape with state secrets.

“It’s true,” concedes William Ward, CEO of the biannual round-the-world Clipper Race, which during its last edition stopped twice in China, in Sanya in the south and Qingdao in the north. “The government protects the inshore waters as it would an inland military installation. It’s overbearing, there’s too much red tape, and you just don’t need that. You need to be able just to hop on your boat, slip your lines and head out for some safe fun and relaxation, just as we can in the UK, or in the Med and everywhere else,” he says.

Then there’s China’s geography. Part of the appeal of cruising is exploring idyllic archipelagos or mooring off a chic seaside town. Only in the south, around the island of Hainan, can you find good cruising with accommodating marinas. Even then, as Ward recently experienced, just heading out for a day’s jaunt demands official clearance to slip your lines, which may or may not be granted.

Little wonder those Chinese who own a superyacht, or are still in the market for one, seek to moor their pride and joy outside China, in places like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, while the ultra-wealthy look to the US and the Med.

Not for the first time, there might be signs of a new dawn appearing for China’s boating market. In April, the Pride Mega Yachts shipyard in Yantai, China, rolled out the spec-built 88.5 metre superyacht Illusion Plus , which later appeared at the Monaco Yacht Show. She’s now listed for sale , asking $145 million. If she sells well, it will be a sign of faith in Chinese yacht building.

Chinese conglomerates are once more seeking to own international superyacht brands. China Zhongwang, the world’s second-largest producer of industrial aluminium extrusion products, recently acquired a controlling interest in Australia’s SilverYachts, which builds high-speed, fuel-efficient superyachts from high-grade aluminium. The yard’s commercial director, Jona Kan, says the boatbuilder will soon announce the acquisition of a shipyard in the Pearl River Delta.

Sunbird, a Chinese conglomerate with five shipyards including a large commercial facility, added IAG Yachts to its varied portfolio in 2015, and turned out to solid reviews the 42.7 metre  King Baby , the largest fibreglass motor yacht ever produced in China.

Heysea Yachts, founded in 2007 and one of China’s largest yacht builders, was a new entry in the Boat International Global Order Book’s Top 20 builders in 2018 and holds its place in this year’s report. Chairman Allen Leng says the company is seeing more interest from domestic buyers because it is adapting to local tastes, by placing the galley down below and including more living and entertainment space, with fewer cabins. “There is an increased number of Chinese clients who better understand the culture of boating and the lifestyle it offers; that boat ownership is more than having a floating platform for business and to boost one’s image,” says Leng. “More Chinese customers are accepting that China-made yachts offer quality and the same after-sales service as foreign brands. We’re also noticing a demand for smaller yachts, which shows the link between sailing and sport and leisure, and that boating is not just a rich person’s pursuit.”

Horizon Yachts says its product range, including new projects such as the FD series, are proving popular with Chinese clients, who are becoming more sophisticated in their tastes. “For example, a buyer in Shanghai or in Sanya will moor their yacht in a yacht club and let the club manage it. In the past five years, we have delivered a 120ft [36.5 metre] superyacht and 145ft [44.2 metre] superyacht, both to clients in Shanghai,” says Horizon Yachts’ chief marketing officer, Lily Li.

Simpson Marine’s Mike Simpson estimates that around 50 per cent of yachts being bought in China are now locally built. “The standard is improving,” he says. “Sometimes you have to do a double-take when you see yachts coming: you think it’s a well-known foreign brand. Then you look again and it’s actually a locally made boat.”

Sunseeker’s Hui also expresses modest optimism. “I think the market overall is getting better, albeit slowly,” he concedes. “I can say 70 per cent of our 2015 to 2018 customers are mainland Chinese with overseas-listed companies. But their boats are all outside China.”

Grassroots sailing and crew training recently received a much-needed boost. In April, the UK’s then deputy ambassador to China, Martyn Roper, and the president of the Chinese Yachting Association, Qu Chun, signed deals to open three training centres to bring Chinese seamanship up to British standards. The centres will offer the UK’s Royal Yachting Association courses. In the UK, seven per cent of the population goes boating. If the same percentage could be replicated in China, that would mean 80 million people taking confidently to the water.

Simpson says a new initiative called the Greater Bay Area development scheme is seeking to unify nine mainland coastal cities to allow yachts licensed in Hong Kong and Macau to cruise in the good southern cruising areas around Hainan without paying a hefty tax. And there is quiet and determined diplomacy afoot calling for Beijing to relax and standardise coastal regulations. Ward, the Clipper Race CEO, says he has been speaking to officials at city and provincial levels who understand the benefits of rationalising China’s sailing industry and its associated tourist trade. “I have spoken with many officials and they get this point. They understand the [stifling red tape] situation, and they’re passing these concerns up to Beijing, that leisure sailing is a different culture and is good for local and regional business,” he says.

There are signs of a cultural shift, too. At the 2018  Shanghai Boat Show , many of the exhibitors were proposing something different – more accessible yachting, with small fishing boats and cruisers standing cheek by jowl with the bigger craft, says Delphine Lignières, co-founder of the Hainan Rendez-Vous. “Contrary to myth, many Chinese enjoy watersports, including sailing and fishing. What I have seen now is more and more people boating on inland freshwater lakes in smaller-sized boats.

“That’s where I see the market developing this time, with smaller recreational boats being bought for use on lakes, rivers and estuaries. This will help establish a boating culture, and over time, the boats will again get bigger and bigger. And not in such a conspicuous way.”

More stories

Most recent, from our partners, sponsored listings.