Tsingtao Brewery (青島啤酒, pinyin: Qīngdǎo píjiǔ ) is China's largest brewery. It was founded in 1903 by German settlers. It claims about 12% of market share. The beer is produced in Qingdao in Shandong province, but the name of the beer uses the old EFEO (Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient) transliteration. The beer's present day logo displays an image of Zhan Qiao , a famous pier on Qingdao's southern shore.

Although marketing for the beer emphasizes its Chinese connections, the origins of Tsingtao Beer actually lie with European colonialism in the 19th century. After the Boxer Rebellion, Germany was able to acquire a concession in Shandong, and proceeded to establish many breweries in the area.

The Tsingtao Brewery was later occupied by the Japanese, and finally retaken by the Chinese. It has now been converted in to a museum about the brewery's past. It lies on Denzhou Rd. in Taidong district, Qingdao.

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. 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.

See also: List of Chinese companies

External link

• Tsingtao Beer web site