Beer:

Often served warm or unchilled during the summer months, the leading brand ‘Tsingdao’ (pronounced Ching-Dao –originally a German brew) is sold everywhere. This beer typically costs 4RMB per bottle from local shops. A bottle can jump to 30RMB or thereabouts in nightclubs. Several other good brands can be found such as ‘Hans’ (Xian) and ‘Wusu’ (Urumqi). The better places serve these bottles chilled withrealglasses. Simpler places will supply disposable, plastic cups in holders, which often leak and dribble up your arm. In bars or outdoors eating areas you will usually pay at the end, though this can vary, and in nightclubs you will always pay upfront. It is customary to share the bottles with all friends topping up all glasses after each refill (drinking solely from your own bottle is considered selfish or just unfriendly). Often, every time you drink you should toast to all, which makes the process of slow sipping become a hardened activity of downing small glasses of beer for much of the night. Each toast is called a ‘gam-bay’ (down in one) or you can opt for a ‘pang-bay’ (just a little). Gambays are the norm and it is a great sign of respect to those you are toasting with. The art of pouring out Chinese bottled beer is tricky as often there is just too much damned froth leaving the drinker with little beer to enjoy. One technique which may sound mad, is to place a wooden chopstick upright in the centre of your glass (or plastic cup), which may reduce the froth by a small margin. Either way, drinking out is a very pleasant experience during the summer evening months. Outdoor daytime drinking is actually difficult to find as inChinagetting a tan is not considered fashionable or beautiful – hence most people drink indoors only. Also, the Chinese work so hard during the day that there simply isn’t any demand for daytime drinking establishments. One thing is for sure; you’re going to have a tough time finding real draught beer (fresh from a bar-side pump) outsideBeijing,ShanghaiandHong Kong.