BEIJING — For much of recorded history, traveling up the Yangtze meant braving turbulent currents and shoals. In recent years, a more prosaic risk has been growing: poorly maintained ships and inexperienced crews.

Nature can still play a role. Initial reports indicate that the capsizing of a cruise ship on Monday may have been partly caused by hurricane-force winds that hit the ship. But most of the challenges facing passenger ships in China’s waterways are economic, brought about by cutthroat competition in the passenger ship industry.

High-end cruises have become popular as China has seen the rise of a wealthy class of tourists. Large companies such as Carnival Group have moved personnel to China, now second only to the United States in the number of cruise passengers. In 2014, the number of tourists on cruises leapt 43 percent from the year before to 862,000, according to an industry report. Industry estimates say that by 2020, the Chinese cruise ship industry might grow to 4.5 million passengers and could have an economic impact of $8 billion.