The June Hong Chian Lee is one of several junks built in Penang, Malaysia, and is a 30 meters, 140-ton three mast junk with 330 square meters of sails, Build in 1962 for charcoal transportation the June Hong Chian Lee was part of a small merchant fleet that traded up and down the coastline from Burma to Malaysia.

She was mainly used to transport mango wood charcoal till 1985 then she was restored and redesigned for the first time to serve as a classic yacht.

In 1997 she changed owners and she was completely restored and set up as a liveaboard vessel. The June Hong is constructed mainly from a hard teak wood called Takien Tong .

Rituals

Another link with the past is a daily ritual of offering fruit, tea and incense before a small Chinese temple in the Captain's quarters. According to Chinese tradition, the goddess of the shrine, if honored, will protect the ship. At the entrance of the temple, two small wooden soldiers stand guard. They are named Chian and Lee-the last two names of the June Hong-and they represent the Ying and Yang.

A second altar is on the junk's bow. Fresh flowers are placed there each week. Below the bow are the Eyes of the ship. According to the Captain, the bow is a sacred part of the junk and sitting or standing there is a sacrilege. Sometimes guests sit on the bow, it makes the crew nervous. You can see it in their faces, says the captain.

At the start of each season when the June Hong Chian Lee is launched, a Chinese shaman or priestess performs an ancient seafaring ceremony to call ashore the spirits.

part of the text is from The June Hong Chian Lee: A mystical journey into the past by Christopher G. Moore.

The junk June Hong Chian Lee (Respect Wind Travel Forever) is now restored to her old glory to serve as a liveaboard in the Phuket area. Therefore she is renovated to meet today's divers expectations.