There’s more to the Chinese port city than beer

Chinese ji ke (geeks) came up with gunpowder, mechanical clocks, the compass, the wheelbarrow and a host of other handy everyday objects, and from the looks of things in Qingdao, especially around this time of year, a casual observer might be tempted to think they invented Oktoberfest, too. In point of fact, the Shandong city’s annual tribute to amber nectar started in 1991 and has grown into a month-long suds fest that swamps the Huangdao and Laoshan districts (this year’s instalment runs from July 26 to August 18).

Admission is a footling 10 yuan (US$1.5), breweries from around the world pour in to compete with local hero Tsingtao in an attempt to ramp up their market share, and the froth and frolic extend well past dusk. It is billed as Asia’s largest beer binge, and is backed up with mountains of food (bratwurst, baozi, Beijing duck) and a raft of entertainment: think fireworks, music and lissom young things gallivanting about on stage in swimsuits.

Too raucous? The Tsingtao International Music Festival is running from August 2 to 11. And anyone fond of German architecture (like Hong Kong, Qingdao was once a treaty port) will find plenty to amuse the senses by strolling around the old town of Badaguan.