Beer festival celebrates friendships in Qingdao

QINGDAO — Zhu Junhai, assistant to the president of Tsingtao Brewery Co, presented an old photograph from 1991 that captured the inaugural Qingdao International Beer Festival. This moment was shared at an industry meeting held during the ongoing international beer festival in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province. Back then, the festival only showcased around 40 to 50 domestic beer varieties alongside a handful of international brands, but it was enough to amaze both local residents and visitors.

Of late, the beer festival has grown into an internationally renowned celebration. The host city is home to the Tsingtao brewery, a time-honored beer brand in China. Last year, over 6 million visitors from across the globe joined the festival, consuming nearly 2,800 metric tons of beer and generating approximately 7.3 billion yuan ($1.02 billion) in comprehensive revenue.

The 35th Qingdao International Beer Festival opened on July 18 near the beach in Xihai'an (West Coast) New Area and will last for about a month. This year's event features over 2,300 domestic and international beer brands and, for the first time, introduced an "exclusive festival beer" to give visitors a truly unique tasting experience. "In Bavaria, we consume more than 180 liters of beer per person annually, so we do have a say when it comes to beer," said Toni Lautenschlager, director of the economic development bureau of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany.

"Tsingtao Beer is lighter and smoother than our local beer, and I find it quite tasty," Lautenschlager remarked after sampling the brew at this year's festival.

Warsteiner, a well-known German beer brand, has made its seventh consecutive appearance at the festival with its iconic beer tent. This year, the brand has rolled out some exciting new options, including alcohol-free beer and a refreshing beach lager, catering to the diverse tastes of its international guests.

Chen Feng, who is in charge of the Warsteiner beer tent, revealed that over 1,200 liters of beer were sold on the opening night alone, demonstrating visitors' strong enthusiasm for authentic German brews.

Qingdao has developed beer culture into a bridge that connects international friendships.

"Qingdao is a dynamic and ever-evolving city. Both its urban development and beer culture have impressed me greatly," said Gertrud Maltz-Schwarzfischer, mayor of Regensburg, who made her first visit to the city in 2019.

In the same year, a cooperative mechanism for international beer festivals was set up in Qingdao. Initiated by the Qingdao beer festival, the mechanism is set to boost exchanges among popular beer festival organizers including Munich's Oktoberfest, the Great American Beer Festival, and Toronto's Festival of Beer. The mechanism aims to enhance cooperation within the beer industry and related tourism, while also creating a platform for international players to explore overseas business opportunities.

On July 19, representatives from beer festivals in Belgium, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Hungary, and other countries and regions participated in the International Beer Festivals Alliance Cooperative Mechanism 2025 Qingdao Meeting.

"Since each city and region that joins the alliance has a unique beer festival culture with its own charm, we need to protect our distinct traditions and carry them forward," said Christian Scharpf, director of the department of labor and economic development of Munich, Germany, and chief coordinator of Munich's Oktoberfest.

Xinhua