Is it true that Qingdao, China was actually colonized by German immigrants and they were the ones who brought beer-making techniques to China?

zbeckabee

Qingdao (Tsingtao) is a major city in eastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west and Rizhao to the southwest. Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea, Qingdao today is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial center. It is also the site of the Tsingtao Brewery. After the Tsingtao region was ceded to Germany in 1898, the German authorities soon turned Tsingtao into a strategically important port administered by the Imperial Department of the Navy (Reichsmarineamt) rather than the Imperial Colonial Office (Reichskolonialamt). The German imperial government planned and built the first streets and institutions of the city we see today, introduced electrification, a sewer system and a safe drinking water supply; commercial interests established the world-famous Tsingtao Brewery. German influence extended to other areas of Shandong Province, including the establishment of diverse commercial enterprises. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingdao Mar 26 09, 3:06 PM

author

The Tsingtao Brewery was founded in 1903 by German settlers in Qingdao, China. Since its introduction, Tsingtao® Beer has enjoyed impressive sales growth and has always been the number one beer in China. Introduced to the United States in 1972, Tsingtao soon became the top-selling Chinese beer in the U.S. market and has maintained this leadership position ever since. Tsingtao® Beer is brewed and bottled by the Tsingtao Brewery, the largest and most prestigious of the approximately 600 breweries operating in China. The Tsingtao Brewery itself has grown from four breweries in 1996 to 48 today. The Tsingtao brand is sold in more than 50 countries worldwide and accounts for more than 50 percent of China’s total beer exports. In fact, Tsingtao is the number-one branded consumer product exported from China. http://www.tsingtaobeer.com/brewery/brewery.htm Mar 26 09, 3:45 PM