Asean Lady literally and figuratively is a paradigm shift. She takes an ancient vessel concept for a wooden outrigger canoe – the proa – and successfully spins it into a modern motor yacht of impressive proportions, stability and efficiency. What is more, this innovative marvel comes not from one of the centers of Western maritime technology but from Shandong province in eastern China where her owner, Brian Chang, has been quietly, systematically introducing Yantai Raffles, a 40-year-old Chinese commercial shipyard, to the world yacht-building stage. Despite scores of naysayers, Ian Mitchell and Chang worked out the equations for this revolutionary yacht, which balances an amazing 20,000 square feet of truly functional space on two narrow, asymmetrical hulls. Her large and beautiful living areas all enjoy remarkable views, thanks to their unique vantage point atop the hulls. Not only is this 289-foot steel yacht stable enough to have survived the December 2004 tsunami while anchored off Phuket, Thailand, but she also achieves 14 knots on a single 2,000-hp Caterpillar diesel and Rolls-Royce azimuth drive. She can even make seven knots on her rotating bow thruster if need be.