The beer was founded in 1903 during the German colonial times. The area was part of a German leased territory from 1898 until 1914 (with the outbreak of the First World War the Japanese swiftly occupied the territory).

Apart from the beer, the German heritage is evident in the architecture of many buildings. In the old town you fill at some points as if you are walking through a Southern German town, only that all signs are in Chinese. I thought that the city has done a reasonably well job at preserving its heritage and while I haven’t visited any other Chinese cities, I am sure it feels unique.

Below are some impressions of our walk around town:

The former Governor’s Palace was consequently used as guest house for many statesmen

Cute little houses around the historic district

The St. Michael’s Cathedral

The St. Michael’s Cathedral (or Zhejian Road Catholic Church) was constructed in 1934 after the areas was again returned to Chinese control.

Inside the St. Michael’s Cathedral

View from the beach towards the shore

The buildings along the shore remind me of some towns in Northern Germany – and so did the weather!

Just as a comparison, this is what the Central Business District of Qingdao looks like (pictured is the May 4th monument):

QIngdao Central Business District

Quite a contrast, isn’t it!

Getting there is fairly straight forward. There are frequent busses going from downtown to the visitor’s center. However due to traffic jams it can take anywhere from one to two hours. There are also many tour operators around but from what we read beforehand was that usually you end up visiting a bunch of shops along the way. We ended up sharing a taxi between the three of us. The fare was 150 RMB (€22) to get there and 80 RMB (€11) to get back. Not quite sure what went wrong one the way there…

At the visitor’s centre you have to get your tickets (120 RMB). No private cars are allowed inside the park area, so you have to board one of the frequently running busses which will take you to the base station of the cable car. There you pay once again for the cable (another 40 RMB one-way). We were happy to see that the cable car was of Swiss origin and hence the ride was quick and smooth.

The busses that take you to the cable car station

Entry ticket

One of the many statues that we passed along the way

Just as we were about to break through the clouds

It was a very cloudy day but eventually we broke through the cloudes in the cable cars. While still not sunny, at least there was a slightly better view. We thought the cable car would take us to the top but boy were we wrong. What followed was a one hour or so hike up (hundreds of stairs). It was a joyful atmosphere with many families out. At the top we were rewarded with good views:

The views are getting better…

…and better

It was a beautiful setting with the clouds rolling over the mountains

and a camouflaged army building.

We almost missed it, it was so well hidden

At the top

After a one hour hike straight up the mountain

How artistic is this photo please? Hashtag nofilter

On the way back

Heading down was a lot quicker obviously and via cable car, bus and taxi we were back downtown just in time for dinner (and maybe another fresh beer).

On the way down

If you’ve got a spare day in Qingdao, I’d definitely recommend visiting Laoshan. If the weather is better, I am sure the views would also be a lot more spectacular. However you do need at least 3/4 of a day. While we did the most popular hike, there are countless other hikes within the park.

While Tsingtao isn’t China’s best selling beer brand (Snow Beer is sold almost twice as much), it is by far the most exported beer. In Qingdao Tsingtao beer is omnipresent. The factory deliverys fresh kegs on a daily basis. Residents then get their daily dose of the beer. What is interesting is that the beer isn’t sold in cans or glasses but rather in plastic bags. Measuring units are used to determine the right weight of the plastic bag.

There are various kinds of beer on sale, though the majority is the classic Tsingtao.

500g of Tsingtao. Or was it 1kg? There is no deposit on the plastic bags

The Tsingtao delivery express making its rounds

A jug of fresh Tsingtao. It will set you back around 20 RMB (~3 EUR)

Of course we also visited the Tsingtao Brewery. While not much more exciting than other brewery museums, it’s fun and worth visiting. There are two types of tickets: one which includes one sample and a slightly more expensive ticket that includes “many, many, many” samples.

Tsingtao Brewery

Exhibition inside the museum

Just outside the museum, “Beer Street” is a place lined up with around 20 restaurants serving all kinds of food (emphasis on seafood) and fresh beer. Here you can try all the different kinds. Just be sure to ask about prices, as there are cases of tourists getting ripped off (at one point the restaurant owner wanted 165 RMB (23 EUR) from us for a jug).

“Golden beer” on the left and caramel beer on the right (not my taste)

Pay attention to the manhole covers around the area, they are in different designs:

Manhole cover in Qingdao

While Qingdao has a lot more to offer than beer, it’s Tsingtao heritage has left a special mark on the city. If you visit, it’s hard to ignore it and do give it a try – the beer does indeed taste better when fresh.