Qingdao Mayor Xia Geng  punctures the first barrel to mark the start of Qingdao Beer Festival.

By Du Shu

QINGDAO:  Many  foreigners get their first taste of Qingdao through Tsingtao Beer.

The image of "Huilan Pagoda" of  Zhanqiao,  a  famous  pier  in Qingdao, adorns the bottle and is the symbol of the city.

The beer`s unique flavor and steady texture win plaudits at home and abroad.

Tsingdao Beer has topped its rivals on the list of "The Most Valuable  Brand  in  China"  for the past 12 years.

The  brand  Tsingtao  Beer now  has  a  value  of  nearly    5 billion yuan ($3.3 billion) and increases  production  by  20 percent every year.

TsingtaoBeerbrewedabout460 milliontonslastyear,accordingto Group President Li Guirong.

Net  profit  was  640  million yuan  ($84.5  million)  from  a total revenue of 31 billion yuan ($4 billion).

Since  it  was  introduced  to the  United  States  in  1972,  Tsingtao has been the top-selling Chinese beer.

Tsingdao  Beer  now  exports to more than 50 countries and regions in the world including Canada,  France,  Britain,  Italy, Singapore  and  Indonesia,  accounting for more than 50 percent of China`s beer exports.

In  2002  ,  Tsingtao  Brewery formed a strategic alliance with Anheuser-Busch(AB),theworld`s largestbeermaker. ABnowowns 27 percent of Tsingtao.

The  cooperation  between the two beer giants sharpened the competitiveness and profitmaking capacity of the Tsingtao Brewery.

Based in Shenzhen, it cooperates with Japan`s Asahi Beer Company.

A Tsingtao factory in Shanghai  also  enjoys  a  technical partnership    with    Danish manufacturer Carlsberg.

Despite  rapid  expansion, Tsingtao  Beer  maintains  consistent taste and texture.

"In  order  to  guarantee  the beer  produced  in  Shenzhen and  Shanghai  to  have  the same taste with ones produced in  Qingdao,  our  technological staff  spent  three  years  on  research," Li said.

Qingdao  toasts  its  homegrown landmark with an annual international beer festival.

Since the inaugural Qingdao International  Beer  Festival  in 1991,  the  brand  has  become synonymous with the city.

After more than a century`s development, Tsingtao Beer has become one of the biggest beer groups in China and one of the world`s most recognizable brews.

As  one  of  three  brands  recognized by beer lovers over the world,  it  has  won  more  than 30  gold  medals  since  Munich International  Expo,  Germany, way back in 1906.

Despite its century-long tradition, Tsingtao Beer is still full of energy, invariably refreshing its fans with its vigorous full taste.

"Tsingtao  Beer  will  become one  of  world  top  five  beer makers  and  the  multinational corporation followed by foreign companies," the president said of his company`s ten-year goal.

Germans established Qingdao Brewery in 1903, producing beers for their countrymen and other westerners.

In the late of 1990s, under a strategy  called  "Great  Famous Brand"  and  asset  re-organization,  Tsingtao  Beer  made  a splash by consolidating Qingdao Laoshan  Beer, Shanghai Carlsberg Beer, Langfang Beer, and Beijing Five-Star Beer.

In  1993,  Tsingtao  Brewery was formed and opened to the international capital market.

The  domestic  company  became the first to be listed in two markets at the same time.

Funds  raised  have  formed a solid basis for rapid development.