Qingdao Int'l Beer Festival opens with global cheers, festive celebrations

The 34th edition of the Qingdao International Beer Festival opened on Friday in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, ushering in a 24-day extravaganza that will run until August 11.

The festival, themed "Qingdao Cheers with the World," has two venues in Qingdao West Coast New Area and Laoshan District. This year's event features over 2,200 varieties of beers from across the globe, offering a rich tapestry of flavors and brews for attendees to explore while promising a unique experience for both local and global guests.

Throughout its duration, the festival will hold seven major activity sectors, such as cultural and sports and collaborative exchanges in the area. Over 2,000 scheduled events, ranging from musical performances and artistic parades to sports competitions designed to entertain visitors, will be held.

To enhance the visitor experience, the festival also introduces new consumer scenarios and an array of tourism routes, ensuring that the joy of the festival extends beyond the beer itself and into the rich cultural and scenic offerings of Qingdao.

"The Qingdao Beer Festival is very good. I like it the most here. I love Qingdao, and I love Qingdao beer. Cheers!" said a tourist from Russia.

"The festival spans a vast area where we can sample a wide variety of beers from different countries, each with its unique flavor. I think this is fabulous. And having fun with friends. I think this is so great," said another tourist who came from the Netherlands.

Qingdao City also launched an innovative combination of the festival and beach camping, which has become a hit among visitors and is emerging as a new hot spot for consumption.

As one of the world's four major beer festivals, the Qingdao International Beer Festival has established itself as a magnet for beer enthusiasts and a catalyst for the local economy. The other three famous beer festivals are Germany's Oktoberfest, the Great American Beer Festival in the U.S., and the Toronto Beer Festival in Canada.

Qingdao Int'l Beer Festival opens with global cheers, festive celebrations

China's top political advisor Wang Huning on Friday urged political advisors to intensify research and consultation to offer valuable suggestions for advancing the cause of people with disabilities.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made these remarks while presiding over a biweekly consultation session of the national committee.

Wang underlined that ensuring a happy and fulfilling life for people with disabilities is an essential requirement for promoting Chinese modernization.

He called upon political advisors to focus on the new situations and challenges in advancing the cause for such individuals while urging more targeted and practical proposals based on thorough investigations and research.

Democratic oversight should be strengthened to ensure the effective implementation of policies supporting those with disabilities, Wang noted.

Several national political advisors also made their remarks during the session. They called for efforts to create unobstructed career development pathways for people with disabilities, advance research and application of assistive technologies, and enhance the quality of public services to continuously improve their quality of life.

China's top political advisor stresses boosting services for people with disabilities