A flotilla of wooden rowing boats that have served tourists to Beijing's Shichahai Lake in Xicheng district for the past 20 years will be retired, the Beijing Morning Post reported.

The old rowing boats will be replaced by new vessels made of aluminum alloy materials, although they will retain the vintage-style of old rowing boats in the Yangtze River Delta, said Wang Jing, a spokesperson for the company that runs the service.

The retired boats have attracted interest from collectors, but Wang said that he hoped they would find a home in a museum or other cultural institution.