(photo by Ju Chenghao)

It''''s raining beer on China''''s brew and sailing capital

By Du Shu

QINGDAO:  Mayor  Xia  Geng smashed  open  the  first  bar rel of fresh beer with a heavy mallet.

With  beer  spouts  spurting skyward,  the  17th  Qingdao International  Beer  Festival opened  in  China''''s  eastern gateway on Saturday.

The  amber  fluid''''s  aroma has since pervaded every cor ner  of  the  renowned  seaside location.

Slogans proclaiming "Qingdao  cheers  with  world" are  everywhere  to  greet  thou sands of foreign and domestic visitors.

Colorful flags flap in the wind along streets and avenues bus tling with fun lovers.

During  the  festival''''s  open ing  ceremony,  breathtaking performances  by  some  10,000 people — including performers, audiences and a parade proces sion — pushed the fun dial up to fever pitch.

No  peformance  was  more appreciated  and  artistic  than "Greet the Olympics with Bril liant Smiles".

Resplendent  in  floral  uni forms,  teams  from  the  United States,  Britain,  Japan  and  the Republic  of  Korea  performed classic  and  passionate  dances in a special blessing dedicated to Qingdao.

"It  is  my  first  time  I  come here," Xie Xiaojun, fresh from the  United  States,  said.  "The spectacle  is  so  exciting.  I  am very happy."

The big beer festival attracted 45 top brewers from the United States,  Germany,  Britain,  and Denmark  including  Budweis er,  Carlsberg,  Paulaner,  and Newcastle, all of whom booked booths for the festival.

Those  present  had  the  good fortune  to  taste  beers  with different  flavors,  such  as  Ger many''''s Munich black, Paulaner brown, and Erdinger white beer —  all  classics  in  the  pantheon of beers.

"The beer here is in a full range  of  brands.  I  can  fully enjoy  myself,"  Qingdao  local and  avid  amber  ale  fan  Tao Hong said.

[It is my first time I come here. The spectacle is so exciting. XIA XIAOJUN(Tourist from United States) ]

Screams of joy and deafening rock music make for a din more raucous than Spring Festival.

Family, friends, people from out  of  town  and  even  foreign ers descend each year to relax at this lively festival.

Some    enthusiasts    even strip off their shirts and scale benches to bellow out popular songs.

"The  beer  here  is  great. Everything  is  perfect,"  Sarah Shepson,  a  US  student  of  Pe king  University,  yelled  in  a mostly vain effort to be heard above the racket.

Tourists  can  also  find  local snacks to wash down their fa vorite brew on the Dengzhoulu Beer  Street,  adjacent  to  the Qingdao  Beer  Factory  work shops.

This 1km street is lined with more than 40 restaurants and bars.

Every  year,  thousands  of people come here to party while drinking beers.

Seventeen  years  after  the first  event  in  1991,  Qingdao International  Beer  Festival attracts  more  than  3  million domestic  and  international tourists each year.

Thanks  to  the  increasing popularity and influence, after 17 years, the festival has grown into one of the world''''s most famous beer galas.

Also thanks to the unrivaled atmosphere of its big beer celebration, tens of millions have got to know and fall in love with Qingdao.