Sailing team members gather at Lennon Bar in Qingdao, Shandong province, to discuss life over a few beers. Drinking beer is integral to the Qingdao experience. Cui Meng / China Daily

Qingdao's iconic beer enjoyed beyond coastal city's shores

Li Dayi, a 24-year-old resident of Qingdao, can be proof of what it is like to grow up in the coastal city in eastern Shandong province.

"I didn't like drinking before I was 20, but I felt I wasn't a real Qingdao person without beer in my life," Li says.

Now the insurance agent cannot get enough of the local Tsingtao Beer that is famous throughout the country and worldwide.

During lunch or supper in Qingdao, it is common to see residents strolling down the streets with plastic bags of fresh beer from the brewery.

There are no bottles needed - the bags are literally filled to the brim with beer and the scene is unique to the city.

At a small pub in the Yan'an Third Road, a group of men walk out of the pub with flushed faces and big smiles.

A slogan in front of the pub - "Drink beers in Qingdao, make friends around the world" - illustrates further how the drink is integral to the Qingdao experience.

Gao Jun, a sailing amateur in Qingdao, runs a pub called Lennon Bar that combines home-style dishes.

"I don't expect to make a lot of money from the bar, but I hope I can provide a place for friends to catch up and develop common interests," Gao says.

As a member of a sailing team, Gao meets up with all his team members and other sailing friends in his pub on Thursday nights.

"I talk about sailing and music with my friends from all around the world," he says.