Dalian celebrates Oktoberfest

"Raise up your beer glasses. We are meeting in Munich."

With friendly shouts and the lively sounds of a German band, a capacity crowd at the Munich beer tent was enjoying the beer, food and culture of Oktoberfest, one of the world's more popular festivals.

Beer waitresses in traditional Bavarian costumes were serving beer, clutching five glasses in each hand.

But this was not Munich, Germany.

The crowds were at the 11th Annual China International Beer Festival from July 30 to Aug 10 in Dalian, the port city of northeastern China's Liaoning province.

"The Oktoberfest tent has been a highlight of the annual gala ever since it was initiated in 2005," said Freeman Tang, general director of the beer festival.

Each year, the tent serves tens of thousands of guests.

It covers an area more than 4,000 sq m in size and accommodates 4,000 people. German experts participated in building the 20 million yuan tent, which boasts imported materials.

Tang said the kitchen, which serves German food, this year was twice as big as last year to accommodate the growing number of visitors.

Tang attributed the popularity of the Oktoberfest tent to its focus on German culture.

"We are trying our best to make the guests feel the atmosphere of Munich," he said.

The German band Take Five-Live, has performed at the tent every year since 2005.

Xu Yingli, a tourist from Shaanxi province, brought her family to visit the tent, saying that the entrance price of 60 yuan for each person was reasonable.

"It is the first time I am taking part in the beer festival. I like the atmosphere here and enjoy it very much," Xu said.

Tang said the tent at the Dalian festival is the only one authorized by the Oktoberfest organizing committee in Munich to use outside Germany.

"It is no easy thing to introduce Oktoberfest to Dalian," Tang said.

Tang said a year of work and persistence by his team helped Dalian win the approval of the Munich committee over many other cities in China and abroad competing for the authorization.

Tang said the Oktoberfest tent also is a symbol of the friendship between Dalian and Munich, two cities popular around the world for beer production.

Oliver Berwick, the deputy mayor of Munich, has attended the China International Beer Festival in Dalian every year since 2005.

"I believe the festival in Dalian will become one of the most fabulous beer festivals in the world," Berwick said.

Berwick said he believed the partnership between the two cities would expand to other business partnerships in the future.

Meanwhile, the residents of each city are getting to know each other.

Tang said more than 200 people from Dalian will attend this year's Oktoberfest in Munich scheduled Sept 19 to Oct 4.

(China Daily 08/17/2009 page10)