Special Supplement Yantai series IV: Enchanting city of vineyards and fine wine

Yantai, home to 10,000 hectares of vineyards and dozens of globally renowned wine enterprises, including Changyu andGreat Wall, is unanimously regarded by the world as the seventh wine coast.

Located in the east of the Jiaodong Peninsula, Yantai is a beautiful coastal city with 900 miles (1 mile=1.6 kilometers) of coastline, through which runs the so-called Fruit Belt of North Latitude 36, making Yantai a unique grape planting and wine production base.

In 1987, Organization International de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) officially named Yantai Asia's first and hitherto only "International Vine and Wine City".

Wine through the ages

In 1892, the patriot Zhang Bishi established the "Changyu Wines Company" with 93,750 kilograms of silvers to help the wine industry in China prosper, signaling the prelude to the industrialization of wine production in the country.

In 1915, brandy, red wine, Lei Siling wine and other Changyu Company products won gold medals at the Panama Pacific Expo held in San Francisco in the United States - the first time for Chinese wines to be accredited by the entire world.

Zhang Bishi's patriotism and his Changyu wines earned him great recognition. Chinese revolutionary and political leader Sun Yat-Sen (1866 -1925), the "father of modern China", inscribed "Best Quality and Fragrant Spring" to describe the wines, which is still preserved in the company museum.

A forerunner of the Chinese wine industry, Changyu Company, over its 115-year history, has developed into the country's largest wine enterprise, with 5,000 hectares of vineyards in Jiaodong Peninsula.

The Changyu-Kasta Wine Village built in collaboration with the famous Kasta wine company of France, is a modern village that combines wine production, tourism and recreational facilities, and is one of the most fantastic sights in Yantai.

Changyu's growth has not only exerted a great positive influence on the city but also drives the development of the entire wine industry, with the company's products commanding more than 24 percent of the Chinese wine market.

As the birthplace of Chinese wine industry, Yantai endeavors to attract investments from domestic and overseas enterprises. Companies from Hong Kong SAR, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, the Philippines and other countries have established more than 20 companies in the city.

Changyu, Great Wall, Dynasty, WeiLong, Suntime, Dahongying and other well-known national enterprises are also seeking opportunities in Jiaodong Peninsula.

International wine festival

Yantai's wine industry has become a new economic force with fresh impetus from the Jiaodong Peninsula.

At present, there are over 150 wine enterprises in Yantai, annually producing more than 200,000 tons of wine and accounting for one-third of the Chinese wine market. The city's tag of International Vine and Wine City is thus well deserved.

Yantai will host the first China Yantai International Wine Festival in September, which will be attended by most of the renowned wine enterprises of the world.

The festival is going to become a regular event in the future, the organizing committee said. They believe Yantai's fame as "International Vine and Wine City" will act as a magnet for visitors from around the world.

(China Daily 05/31/2007 page24)