Discover Germany in China (Colonial Conch)

Qingdao,

I was inspired to write this report when I learned of German influence during emmigration and colonialism in the 19th and 20th century in South America and Africa. I learned of and someday hope to visit this German colony from the Age of Imperialism in China. Qingdao is one of the best examples of foreign influence during the tumultuous time when the last Chinese Dynasty was crumbling under the pressure of internal divisions, foreign pressures, and corruption.

 

Two of the things that stand out most among the German legacy are the beer and the architecture.  Germans who occupied Qingdao built a brewery, churches and homes that mirrored the German styles of the time, and imported much about their way of life.

 

Visiting Qingdao would be a great opportunity to see physical remnants of a time when European powers were attempting to carve up China into their own “spheres of influence”.

 

Built in 1903 with contemporary state of the art equipment and operated under the strict Reinheitsgebot German Beer Purity Law, the brewery is both an example of modern engineering and cultural imperialism. It was also a sign that the Germans planned to take advantage of a weak Chinese dynasty and stay around for a while.

 

You may be surprised to know the result ... Tsingtao is arguably the most famous Chinese beer in the world today!

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