Int'l beer festival opens in Qingdao

QINGDAO - The 28th Qingdao International Beer Festival, one of the largest beer festivals in China, opened Friday in the coastal city of Qingdao.

The festival this year will gather 200 beer brands from over 30 countries and regions and offer more than 1,300 types of beer, said Mi Desheng, director of tourism commission of the Xihai'an (West Coast) New Area, where the festival takes place.

The festival will last 38 days, longer than previous years, to accommodate more tourists, Mi said. The festival venue occupies more than 800,000 square meters, he added.

Qingdao hosted the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on June 9 and 10. The beer festival features SCO countries, including a venue for Russian beer, Mi said.

Qingdao is home to Tsingtao Brewery, a time-honored beer brand in China. Its international beer festival is an annual carnival and one of the largest in the country.