Clockwise from top: Tsingtao beer is as much a national icon as it is known and loved in Qingdao, where the residents love drinking it out of a plastic bag. St. Michael's Church still holds masses for Catholics living in this little paradise that fuses past and present, east and west.

The most spectacular of German buildings is the former governor's residence, situated on the edge of the Signal Hill Park. The opulent mansion, built in 1903, uses colors, stones and bricks typical of an ancient Bavarian castle. It once housed the German commander, but is now the Qingdao Guest House.

No extravagance was spared in its majestic layout. It still houses a grand German piano made in 1876. The then German governor had felt he deserved the utmost in luxury, but when Kaiser Wilhelm II saw the excessive bill, the governor was immediately sacked. It is now a museum open to visitors.

The premier shopping street in the old town is Zhongshan Road with many time-honored shops. Since the 1990s, the area has been overshadowed by the emergence of other booming commercial districts, a fate shared by many liyuan, which feature square-shaped homes surrounding a courtyard.

In 2008, the local government re-opened Pichaiyuan, a li-yuan famous for its food and snacks, folk art and entertainment such as opera and cross-talk, as a tourist attraction.

Yet the jewel that crowns Qingdao's integration of Chinese wisdom and German influence is Tsingtao beer, China's proud export to more than 60 countries. With its magic ingredient of mineral water from Laoshan Mountain, it is famed for its delicate foam, crisp clarity and palatable flavor.

Following the tradition of Oktoberfest in Munich, a beer festival has been held in Qingdao every year in late August since 1991. Live performances, parades and seaside firework shows add to the excitement.

The locals seem to share their love for beer wherever they go. They have a famous habit of using plastic bags to take home their beer.

Maybe that is the beauty of this modern metropolis, a charming mix of East and West for those looking for relaxation, exotic diversions, atmospheric walks, sandy beaches, tasty seafood, binge drinking.

You can contact the writer at liyao@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 09/04/2011 page16)

By Li Yao (China Daily)

Edited by Chen Zhilin