Time-honored Tsingtao Beer brings cheers to the world

QINGDAO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Among the crowd at the ongoing international beer festival in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Micheal Bhatti, an international student from Australia, was intently studying the drink list at the entrance of a beer tent.

"This is my first time at the beer festival. I'd like to taste different beers, and like the activities here," Bhatti said, adding that Qingdao is an open and inclusive city, and he often receives friendly gestures from the locals.

With fireworks and light shows illuminating the sky, the 33rd Qingdao International Beer Festival kicked off on the evening of July 14. Inaugurated in 1991, the event has grown into one of the most famous beer festivals in the world.

More than 2,000 varieties of beer from over 40 countries and regions are available to the public at the festival, a record high. Over 300 activities, including music performances, art shows, and sports events, will be held during the 24-day carnival, which has established seven zones with different themes near the beach in the Xihai'an (West Coast) New Area.

"Beer is the universal language, and festivals are human rituals of empathy. The combination of these two is the most important factor in the success of the Qingdao International Beer Festival," said Lin Xingyu, senior consultant of the festival.

Tsingtao Brewery was founded in 1903 in Qingdao. Tsingtao beer has been sold in more than 120 countries and regions around the world including the United States, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Russia.

"In more and more countries and regions, Tsingtao beer has been a medium of Chinese culture, integrating into the local life with joy," said Chu Liangjing, deputy general manager of the overseas business department of Tsingtao Brewery.