When: February 5, 2012 (7:30 pm Tip Off)
Venue: Qingdao University Arena
More Info: 8268-4351

The teams meet at Qingdao’s CBA basketball venue, the Qingdao University Arena. Tickets (25 yuan students, 60 regular, 200 VIP) are available at the gate (enter via south gate on Hong Kong East Road). View the full CBA standings on Asia-Basket.com. Find the Qingdao University Arena location on Google Maps here.

Anyone interested in working as a part time commentator covering the CBA in Qingdao, check out this forum post by RT Sportscast. Also, check out recaps of CBA games (with video) on Niubball.com.

Relevant Links:
NiuBBall (English)
CBA Official Website (Chinese)
Qingdao Double Star Official Website (Chinese)

Relevant Links:
Qingdao Artist: Pan Wen Yi I

Here’s the recap from Asia-Basket:

Rather predictable result when eighth ranked Shanxi Zhongyu (13-10) beat on the road 11th ranked Qingdao Double Star (11-14) 110-106. Qingdao Double Star was ahead by 15 points at the halftime before a 70-51 second half run of Shanxi Zhongyu. They made 29-of-36 charity shots (80.6 percent) during the game, while Qingdao Double Star only scored thirteen points from the stripe. Shanxi Zhongyu forced 25 Qingdao Double Star turnovers. Strangely Qingdao Double Star outrebounded Shanxi Zhongyu 55-34 including a 36-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. 29 personal fouls committed by Qingdao Double Star helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American forward Charles Gaines notched a double-double by scoring 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead the effort and the other American import swingman Marcus Williams supported him with 37 points (!!!) and 5 steals (perfect from the field making all eleven shots !!!). Even 45 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds by American guard Lester Hudson did not help to save the game for Qingdao Double Star. Nigerian-British power forward Olumide Oyedeji added 25 points and 15 rebounds (on 11-of-13 shooting from the field) for the hosts.

Check out commentary and recaps of CBA games (with video) on Niubball.com.

Relevant Links:
CBA Official Website (Chinese)
Qingdao Double Star Official Website (Chinese)

It’s an almost mandatory time to be with one’s family – expect huge traffic jams on the way home for the Little New Year. The Rabbit will be sent off here in Qingdao with the festival required jiaozi a week before Spring Festival and the Year of the Dragon.

Little New Year signals a slowdown in work as people are rushing about taking care of last minute preparations for the fireworks and feasts to come during Chinese New Year, so expect your office/school/factory to be winding down as well in the run up to one of the largest celebrations on Earth.

More information on Chinese Little New Year from China.org.cn:

Little New Year, which falls about a week before the lunar New Year, is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity who oversees the moral character of each household. In one of the most distinctive traditions of Spring Festival, a paper image of the Kitchen God is burned on Little New Year, dispatching the god’s spirit to Heaven to report on the family’s conduct over the past year. The Kitchen God is then welcomed back by pasting a new paper image of him beside the stove. From this vantage point, the Kitchen God will oversee and protect the household for another year. The close association of the Kitchen God with the Lunar New Year has resulted in Kitchen God Festival being called Little New Year. Although very few families still make offerings to the Kitchen God on this day, many traditional holiday activities are still very popular.

Relevant Links:
Chinese Little New Year
Kitchen God

When: January 15, 2011 (7:30 pm Tip Off)
Venue: Qingdao University Arena
More Info: 8268-4351

The teams meet at Qingdao’s CBA basketball venue, the Qingdao University Arena. Tickets (25 yuan students, 60 regular, 200 VIP) are available at the gate (enter via south gate on Hong Kong East Road). View the full CBA standings on Asia-Basket.com. Find the Qingdao University Arena location on Google Maps here.

Anyone interested in working as a part time commentator covering the CBA in Qingdao, check out this forum post by RT Sportscast. Also, check out recaps of CBA games (with video) on Niubball.com.

Relevant Links:
NiuBBall (English)
CBA Official Website (Chinese)
Qingdao Double Star Official Website (Chinese)
Xinjiang Flying Tigers Official Website (Chinese)
Xinjiang Flying Tigers on Wikipedia (English)

One viewer gave the following mixed review of Mai Fu on IMDB:

It’s superficially a nice story, but “Surveillance” doesn’t really show (director) Huang Jianxin at his best. It falls awkwardly between his two unique styles – the overt political symbolism and criticism of his early movies, and the sardonic warmth of his later movies – and ends up being a rather flat movie which doesn’t genuinely engage the audience. Huang’s wonderful eye for detail sets him above his Chinese contemporaries in almost all his movies: there are some really enjoyable scenes here, but neither the social observation nor the plot are really enough to sustain a whole film.

The police station in the movie is actually the old Qingdao City Hall (at the 7.30 minute mark) built during German colonial times. There are scenes in areas that were later re-developed, such as the Beihai Shipyards (at the 23.00 minute mark). The site became the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center after the shipyards moved to Huangdao to make way for 2008.

Watch Surveillance on Youku (Mandarin with Chinese subtitles).

Relevant Links:
Surveillance on VeryCD
Qingdao City Hall Building

When: January 6, 2011 (7:30 pm Tip Off)
Venue: Qingdao University Arena
More Info: 8268-4351

The teams meet at Qingdao’s CBA basketball venue, the Qingdao University Arena. Tickets (25 yuan, 60 regular, 200 VIP) are available at the gate (enter via south gate on Hong Kong East Road). View the full CBA standings on Asia-Basket.com. Find the Qingdao University Arena location on Google Maps here.

Anyone interested in working as a part time commentator covering the CBA in Qingdao, check out this forum post by RT Sportscast. Also, check out recaps of CBA games (with video) on Niubball.com.

Relevant Links:
NiuBBall (English)
Official CBA website (Chinese)
Official Qingdao Double Star website (Chinese)

Movie Info from Yahoo Movies

When an elderly woman is viciously murdered in Oxford, her body is discovered by two strangers whose lives are immediately changed forever: Arthur Seldom, a prestigious professor of logic, and Martin, a young graduate student who has just arrived at the university hoping to be Seldom’s pupil. It quickly becomes clear that hers is the first in a series of increasingly bizarre murders, with each victim’s corpse marked by strange symbols. Professor and student join forces to try and crack the code, setting into motion an elaborate game with the killer with ever-increasing stakes. As Martin gets closer to the facts, he grows increasingly unhinged from his grasp on the world around him.

Starring: Elijah Wood, John Hurt, Leonor Watling, Julie Cox
Directed By: Alex de la Iglesia
Genres: Thriller, Adaptation, Drama, Crime/Gangster and Art/Foreign
MPAA Rating: R for language, sexual content/nudity and some violence/disturbing images

Select Qingdao Movie Theaters

Qingdao Huachen Cineplex (Mykal 8F)
Info: 6670.0700, 6670.0677
Location: View on Google Maps

Broadway Cinemas (Marina City 3F)
Info: 6606.1155, 6606.1160
Website: www.b-cinema.cn
Location: View on Google Maps

Wanda–Taidong (Walmart)
Info: 8362.5656
Website: www.wandafilm.com
Location: View on Google Maps

Wanda–CBD (Jusco Yanji Lu)
Info: 5556.3939
Website: www.wandafilm.com
Location: View on Google Maps

Huiquan Cinema
Info: 8286.7219
Website: www.huiquanmovies.com
Location: View on Google Maps

West Coast Cinema (Huangdao Kaifaqu)
Info: 8699.9633
Website: http://theater.mtime.com/
Location: View on Google Maps

Notes:
* Please call ahead or check at the theater as showtimes vary each day
* Tickets are discounted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Wanda, Tuesdays at Huachen
* Pre purchase vouchers of approx. half price (33 yuan) sold around town in shops such as Hao Yi De convenience stores – look for Movie Tickets (dianying piao/电影票) posters in window

Relevant Links:
The Oxford Murders Official Website

Movie Info from Yahoo Movies

Successful publisher Will Atenton quit a job in New York City to relocate his wife, Libby, and two girls to a quaint New England town. But as they settle into their new life, they discover their perfect home was the murder scene of a mother and her children. And the entire city believes it was at the hands of the husband who survived. When Will investigates the tragedy, his only lead comes from Ann Paterson, a neighbor who was close to the family that died. As Will and Ann piece together the disturbing puzzle, they discover that the story of the last man to leave Will’s dream house will be just as horrifying to the one who came next.

Starring: Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz
Directed By: Jim Sheridan
Genres: Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality and brief strong language

Dream House Movie Review by Eric D. Snider on Film.com

There are probably some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories that would explain why Dream House is such a ruined pile of nonsense. How does a movie directed by two-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot) and starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Naomi Watts turn out this bad? Rumor has it Sheridan lost control of the picture to studio overlords, and that neither he nor the principal actors are at all happy with what is now being projected onto unsuspecting movie screens. Assuming that’s the case, wouldn’t you like to hear all the juicy anecdotes?

The story about Dream House is almost certainly more entertaining than the story in Dream House, which is pedestrian and stupid. It involves Will Atenton (Craig), a big-city book editor who has left his job to focus on his own writing, and to spend time with his family in the house they’ve just bought in a small Connecticut town. His loving wife, Libby (Weisz), and adorable little girls, Trish (Taylor Geare) and Dee Dee (Claire Geare), have been fixing up the place, just waiting for daddy to come home.

But the across-the-street neighbor, Ann (Watts), acts skittish toward Will, and her teenage daughter seems genuinely afraid. It turns out this is because — wouldn’t you know it? — the last people who lived in the house got murdered. A mother and her two kids were shot to death; the husband was a suspect but was never charged. All in the very house in which Will and his wife and two kids now live! Huh!

You see where this is going. If you don’t, you can watch the film’s trailer, which freely divulges where this is going. What the trailer tells us, and what we learn by the film’s halfway point, is that the people who were killed are Libby and the girls, and that Will has spent the last five years in a mental institution. His wife and children are not actually present in the house but are figments of his imagination (or ghosts, or something). Also, he doesn’t remember killing them and doesn’t think it sounds like something he would do.

Once this information is out in the open — after you’ve watched either 45 minutes of the movie or two minutes of the trailer — there isn’t much left for the film to do. Will accepts that his family is dead, and even tells Ann across the street that sometimes he sees them, an admission that Ann finds touching rather than terrifying. All that’s left is for him to remember why he murdered them, or else to discover who the real killer was. This process is dragged out for another 45 excruciating minutes. David Loucka’s tepid screenplay, already a constant stream of mediocrity, has painted itself into a corner: there is no resolution that can possibly tie up the loose ends AND be satisfying AND make sense. The resolution Loucka came up with (or who knows, maybe it was the studio, or Sheridan, or a Magic 8-Ball) is especially feeble. It’s the sort of laughable melodrama that would be embarrassing as a 10th-season episode of Law & Order: SVU, let alone as a motion picture from a major Hollywood studio.

Some of this doesn’t matter as long as the movie delivers chills and suspense like it’s supposed to. We don’t notice the hogwash if we’re too busy being scared. But that’s where Dream House fails the most. Not a single scare is contained within these 92 minutes, not one tense moment or burst of adrenaline-boosting action. To make a thriller as completely devoid of thrills and as blandly ludicrous as this is, you’d almost have to be doing it on purpose. And maybe that’s what they did! Wouldn’t you like to hear that story? I sure would!

Select Qingdao Movie Theaters

Qingdao Huachen Cineplex (Mykal 8F)
Info: 6670.0700, 6670.0677
Location: View on Google Maps

Broadway Cinemas (Marina City 3F)
Info: 6606.1155, 6606.1160
Website: www.b-cinema.cn
Location: View on Google Maps

Wanda–Taidong (Walmart)
Info: 8362.5656
Website: www.wandafilm.com
Location: View on Google Maps

Wanda–CBD (Jusco Yanji Lu)
Info: 5556.3939
Website: www.wandafilm.com
Location: View on Google Maps

Huiquan Cinema
Info: 8286.7219
Website: www.huiquanmovies.com
Location: View on Google Maps

West Coast Cinema (Huangdao Kaifaqu)
Info: 8699.9633
Website: http://theater.mtime.com/
Location: View on Google Maps

Notes:
* Please call ahead or check at the theater as showtimes vary each day
* Tickets are discounted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Wanda, Tuesdays at Huachen
* Pre purchase vouchers of approx. half price (33 yuan) sold around town in shops such as Hao Yi De convenience stores – look for Movie Tickets (dianying piao/电影票) posters in window

Relevant Links:
Dream House Official Website

When: January 4, 2011 (7:30 pm Tip Off)
Venue: Qingdao University Arena
More Info: 8268-4351

The teams meet at Qingdao’s CBA basketball venue, the Qingdao University Arena. Tickets (25 yuan, 60 regular, 200 VIP) are available at the gate (enter via south gate on Hong Kong East Road). View the full CBA standings on Asia-Basket.com. Find the Qingdao University Arena location on Google Maps here.

Anyone interested in working as a part time commentator covering the CBA in Qingdao, check out this forum post by RT Sportscast. Also, check out recaps of CBA games (with video) on Niubball.com.

Relevant Links:
NiuBBall (English)
Official CBA website (Chinese)
Official Qingdao Double Star website (Chinese)

When: December 28, 2011 (7:30 pm Tip Off)
Venue: Qingdao University Arena
More Info: 8268-4351

The teams meet at Qingdao’s CBA basketball venue, the Qingdao University Arena. Tickets (25 yuan, 60 regular, 200 VIP) are available at the gate (enter via south gate on Hong Kong East Road). View the full CBA standings on Asia-Basket.com. Find the Qingdao University Arena location on Google Maps here.

Anyone interested in working as a part time commentator covering the CBA in Qingdao, check out this forum post by RT Sportscast. Also, check out recaps of CBA games (with video) on Niubball.com.

Relevant Links:
NiuBBall (English)
Official CBA website (Chinese)
Official Qingdao Double Star website (Chinese)
Official Foshan Website (Chinese)

Jiang Xin uses the English name Jessica and is signed to the Modern Sky label. Her first album was entitled The Tenacious Flower (Hua Kai Bu Bai/花开不败), released in 1996. Since then Jiang Xin has built a steady following for her pop rock style and released albums including Purity and From Spring to Autumn.

Listen to the music of Jiang Xin on Xiami. Check out her blog (Chinese) on Sina. SY Theatre is on Shunxing Lu west of Amy’s Bakery and Gunshi Music Shop in Taidong near the Weihai Lu Pedestrian Street. See below for map link.

When: January 3, 7.30 pm
Venue: SY Theater / 青岛SY实验剧场
Location: 26 Shunxing Lu / 顺兴路26号
Tickets: 80-180 yuan (RMB)
More Info: 130.6141.0929

Relevant Links:
SY Qingdao Experimental Theatre on Google Maps

CSR Sifang (and Bombardier Transportation) make high speed trains right here in Qingdao in Sifang (四方) district.

More info from Global Times.cn:

A test train designed to travel at speeds of more than 500 kilometers per hour was unveiled at the weekend.

The country’s largest train manufacturer, China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation Limited CSR (CSR), presented the test model in Qingdao, Shandong Province.

The six-car train is the newest in the CRH high-speed series. It has a maximum power of 22,800 kilowatts, more than twice as much as the 9,600 kilowatts power of the CRH380 trains currently in service on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, which held the record commercial operating speed of 350 kilometers per hour until maximum speeds were reduced to 300 kilometers per hour following the deadly Wenzhou high speed rail crash in July that killed 40 people, according to Xinhua.

Additional safety measures include plastic material reinforced with carbon fiber in train bodywork, which increased strength by 22.7 percent while also reducing weight.

However, some question whether China should introduce such high-speed trains after the Wenzhou crash.

Shen Zhiyun, a locomotive expert and academician with the Chinese academies of sciences and engineering, told Xinhua that testing the super-speed train would provide useful data for current high-speed railway operations.

Mao Baohua, a professor of traffic systems at Beijing Jiaotong University, said developing a super-speed train was not wrong given the hunger for innovation and faster communications in modern society.

“But the question is how to make this technology safer when for civil use,” Mao said. “No one can guarantee a zero accident record, but we have to consider every safety aspect. And there’s no need to put test models into production in haste since the bullet trains currently in operation are still being adjusted.”

After the Wenzhou crash, Premier Wen Jiabao ordered thorough safety checks on all high-speed lines including those not yet completed and cut maximum speeds.

Relevant Links:
China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation
Sifang Locomotive on Sifang Government Website
CSR Trains For Foreign Railways
Meet the Train Makers: China
CSR Sifang and Bombardier Sifang Train Discussion (Photos)

Image Credits @ China Daily, Global Times

Check theater websites (listed below) for current availability of English movies in Qingdao.

Movie Info from Yahoo Movies

Set during the Japanese invasion of China, and told from a young girl’s point of view, about a dissolute Westerner who seeks refuge in a Catholic Church. There he meets a beautiful Chinese courtesan who helps him rescue a group of schoolgirls from a terrible fate at the hands of the Japanese.

Starring: Christian Bale, Paul Schneider, Ni Ni, Tong Dawei, Cao Kefan
Directed By: Zhang Yimou
Genres: Drama, Art/Foreign, War and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: R for for strong violence including a sexual assault, disturbing images and brief strong language.

Check out a review for The Flowers of War in the LA Times:

“The Flowers of War” has broken new ground for China’s movie industry: It’s among the first domestically financed films to star a high-profile Hollywood actor (Christian Bale), and its reported budget of close to $100 million makes it the country’s priciest production to date. But when it comes to storytelling, Zhang Yimou’s 19th feature is decidedly backward-looking: A lavish period weepie set against the atrocities of the Nanking Massacre, “Flowers” abounds with well-worn movie archetypes and slathers on schmaltz.

Based on Geling Yan’s novel “13 Flowers of Nanjing,” the story gathers an improbable collection of people — Bale’s freelance American mortician, a group of convent schoolgirls and the women from a local brothel — in the nominal refuge of a Catholic cathedral as the capital falls to Japan’s Imperial Army. Zhang marshals his creative team to deliver stunning cinematic sequences and period detail, particularly in Yohei Taneda’s production design for the church and the character-defining costumes by William Chang Suk-Ping.

But “Flowers,” China’s official submission for the foreign-language Academy Award, remains an uneasy mix of action and melodrama.

Having helmed “House of Flying Daggers,” not to mention the Beijing Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies, Zhang is no stranger to spectacle. Its place in a tale of brutality and emotional devastation is another matter — even if, in their very muchness, the lurid beauty of the visuals (photographed by frequent Zhang collaborator Zhao Xiaoding) and the hokey exaggerations of the story are well matched. All that’s missing are characters as fully realized as their surroundings.

(Read more here).

Select Qingdao Movie Theaters

Qingdao Huachen Cineplex (Mykal 8F)
Info: 6670.0700, 6670.0677
Location: View on Google Maps

Broadway Cinemas (Marina City 3F)
Info: 6606.1155, 6606.1160
Website: www.b-cinema.cn
Location: View on Google Maps

Wanda–Taidong (Walmart)
Info: 8362.5656
Website: www.wandafilm.com
Location: View on Google Maps

Wanda–CBD (Jusco Yanji Lu)
Info: 5556.3939
Website: www.wandafilm.com
Location: View on Google Maps

Huiquan Cinema
Info: 8286.7219
Website: www.huiquanmovies.com
Location: View on Google Maps

West Coast Cinema (Huangdao Kaifaqu)
Info: 8699.9633
Website: http://theater.mtime.com/
Location: View on Google Maps

Notes:
* Please call ahead or check at the theater as showtimes vary each day
* Tickets are discounted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Wanda, Tuesdays at Huachen
* Pre purchase vouchers of approx. half price (33 yuan) sold around town in shops such as Hao Yi De convenience stores – look for Movie Tickets (dianying piao/电影票) posters in window

Relevant Links:
The Flowers of War on Yahoo Movies

Contact the artist by email or call 138.5428.9755 (Chinese). For further assistance please contact us.

Relevant Links:
Wan Li Ying Official Website

Listen to the music of Yu and Jiang on Douban.

When: December 25, 8 pm
Venue: Freedom Cuba Live House
Location: 3 Tongshan Lu / 通山路三号
Tickets: 30 yuan (RMB) advance, 50 door
More Info: 136.6886.6600

Relevant Links:
Map to Freedom Cuba Live House (Chinese)

The name Haier has been in use since 1991 when the company re-branded and re-booted en route to becoming the multinational mechanical juggernaut it is today. Haier headquarters in China are in Qingdao on the 308 Highway at the intersection of Haier Lu in Laoshan district. Former Red Guard, current Haier CEO, and Qingdao native Zhang Ruimin has been heralded as an organizational guru and business mastermind. Haier’s product portfolio features home appliances and electronics including mobile phones, fridges, air conditioners, televisions, and PCs. Here in Qingdao, Haier has been active in real estate development.

Haier was the first Chinese company to build a manufacturing facility in the United States. The company purchased an historic building in New York for their corporate home in 2000 and renamed it the Haier Building. The world’s top home appliance brand is poised to enter the American consumer electronics market in a quest to go “Haier and Higher”. Haier has over 70,000 employees worldwide with global revenues of 135.7 billion yuan RMB (20.7 billion USD) in 2010.

More info on Haier being recognized as world’s top home appliance brand from PR Newswire:

Haier announced today that Euromonitor International, the global leader in consumer market strategy research, has again ranked Haier as the number one major appliance brand in the world with a 7.8% retail volume share in 2011 marking the third consecutive year Haier has been given this honor. It also signifies a 1.7% growth for Haier in global brand market share from 2010.

Haier also gained the top position again in several product categories, as well as becoming first this year in a new category, evidence that Haier is not only strengthening but expanding as its presence as it grows globally. Haier’s top product rankings include:

Refrigeration Appliances:

• Haier is the number one manufacturer of Refrigeration Appliances in the world with 16.5% retail volume share, up 3.9 points from 2010.
• Haier is number one brand of Refrigeration Appliances in the world with 13.7% retail volume share in 2011, up 2.9 points from 2010.

Freezers:

• Haier is the number one Freezer manufacturer in the world with 16.8% retail volume share in 2011.
• Haier is the number one Freezer brand in the world with 16.7% retail volume share in 2011.

Home Laundry Appliances:
Haier is the number one brand of Home Laundry in the world with 10.9% retail volume share in 2011, up 1.8 points from 2010.

Electrical Wine Cooler/Chiller:
Haier is the number one brand and manufacturer of Electrical Wine Cooler/Chiller in the world with 16.1% retail volume share in 2011, up 1.3 points from 2010.

Haier is not only reaching the top spot in so many product categories but making significant gains each year in those categories is evidence of the world’s growing trust and confidence in Haier’s quality and value through the innovative, tailor made products and services it offers them worldwide. Haier’s first ever ascension into the top of Euromonitor’s Freezer rankings shows that a growing number of customers are choosing a wider selection of Haier products to meet their needs.

“Year after year, we are finding that Haier’s commitment to creating home solutions through our innovative tailor-made products are being realized by more and more people worldwide as they learn that they can count on Haier’s wide range of products to give them the quality, and value they need,” said Ms. Zhang Tieyan, Director of Haier Global Branding Operation. “The fact that Haier has reached the top of Euromonitor’s rankings for three years in-a-row in an expanding number of categories shows Haier’s commitment in meeting those needs. As Haier continues to grow globally, we aim to bring even more solutions to people across the globe,” said Zhang.

Relevant Links:
Haier Official Website
Haier on Wikipedia

When: December 24, 8 pm
Venue: Old Church Lounge / 老教堂吧
Location: 31 Jining Lu / 济宁路31号
More info: 8284-5450

Relevant Links:
Old Church Lounge/Kaiyue Youth Hostel

Image Credit @ Thomas Kinkade

Freedom Cuba Live House is becoming the premier venue for original live music in Qingdao – check out some Shandong based bands for a rocking Christmas Eve this year. Any and all local performers are encouraged to join the stage; original or adapted compositions in a set of over 3 songs requested by the organizer. The music starts at 8 pm and goes to midnight, with an afterparty to follow. Tickets are 30 yuan RMB in advance and 50 at the door. Call 136.6886.6600 for more information.

When: December 24, 8 pm
Venue: Freedom Cuba Live House
Location: 3 Tongshan Lu / 通山路三号
More Info: 136.6886.6600

Relevant Links:
Map to Freedom Cuba Live House (Chinese)

When: December 16, 2011 (7:30 pm Tip Off)
Venue: Qingdao University Arena
More Info: 8268-4351

The teams meet at Qingdao’s CBA basketball venue, the Qingdao University Arena. Tickets (25 yuan, 60 regular, 200 VIP) are available at the gate (enter via south gate on Hong Kong East Road). View the full CBA standings on Asia-Basket.com. Find the Qingdao University Arena location on Google Maps here.

Anyone interested in working as a part time commentator covering the CBA in Qingdao, check out this forum post by RT Sportscast. Also, check out recaps of CBA games (with video) on Niubball.com.

Relevant Links:
NiuBBall (English)
Official CBA website (Chinese)
Official Qingdao Double Star website (Chinese)

Photo Credit @ Osports.cn via nba247365.com

For more information, check out their website and contact Strong Ale Works here. Special thanks to John from Strong Ale Works for providing the following overview on what it takes to make beer on your own here in Qingdao.

How to Home Brew in China

Tsingtao Beer slowly loses it’s backbone after you’ve had a few. Eventually the longing for a beer with a little more flavor is desired. Designing you own beer is a good way to accomplish that goal and have fun at the same time. China is not exactly a mecca for home brewers yet there are some resources available.

Brewing can sound complicated at first but anyone who has a strong enough desire for good beer and thirst for learning new things will really enjoy this hobby. Brewing beer breaks down into a few basic steps; mashing, boiling, and fermenting. This article will go into the basic procedures of brewing but if you’re really interested in crafting your own beer you should probably take a look at John Palmer’s website, How to Brew. If you’re interested in brewing beer in China, this article is a good step forward to help you find equipment, ingredients, and run through the basic process.

Mashing

The mash is the first step in brewing your beer. The goal of the mash is to put crushed malt into water and allow enzymes in the malt to convert starches into sugar. The sugar that is created in the mash is what will be fermented into alcoholic beer. It basically works like a giant coffee filter, filtering water through grain to extract sugars that are finally used to make alcohol. Making a vessel that can be used for the mash can be done in a variety of ways. A separate vessel from the boil kettle can be made with a false bottom, or a filter to separate the wort from the grain.

If you want to mash with as little equipment as possible you can use your boil kettle as the mash tun by using the brew in a bag method. A large nylon bag can be filled with crushed malt and set into the kettle of water and allowed to steep like a giant bag of tea. This is probably the easiest method for most home brewers but finding a large clothe or bag that can hold the grain might be challenging.

Restaurant supply stores usually carry similar items, that would be the first place to check. A simple mash can be completed by letting the crushed malt soak in 65 ℃ water for 60 minutes.

The greatest resource you might find is other brewers. Whether itʼs a home brewer, craft brewer, or professional brewer, theyʼre usually pretty interested in talking about beer.

The Boil

The boil is an important part of brewing. During the boil hops are added to the sugary wort you created in the mash. The first thing you’re going to need for the boil is big pot that can hold about 30 liters of water. These are easily found at restaurant supply stores or places like Metro. A typical boil is about 60 minutes long, however it can extend to 90 minutes.

Hops can be added at various times and amounts during the boil. For example, you may added 30 grams at the beginning of the boil (60 minutes) 20 grams at the middle of the boil (30 minutes) and another 20 grams at the end of the boil (0 minutes). This hopping schedule will have a big impact on the bitterness and flavors in the final beer. The variety of hops you choose will also contribute a lot to bitterness and aroma.

Hop variety in China is pretty limited. However, you can find some decent hop varieties to work with and make great beer. I would not suggest using hops that are sold as Chinese medicine. These hops are generally old, dried up and will impart some pretty bad flavors to your beer. Your best bet is to buy hops that have been processed into pellets. These pellets are designed to last longer and keep fresher. Itʼs always a good idea to keep your hops refrigerated and in a sealed bag.

Zhejiang Dayu, an equipment manufacturer, sells homebrew boil kettles with built in thermometers and ball valves. This setup is a little more expensive but may be the antidote for serious beer connoisseurs. Once you have some hops and grains to work with you can search for good recipes in home brew recipe books or online and build your own recipe around those. Recipe building takes practice and most importantly- good record keeping!

Fermentation

Another important piece of equipment is the fermentor. The most basic fermentor would be a food grade plastic container. The blue water carboys for delivering water work well, ask your water delivery guy if help can sell you an old one. Otherwise large glass carboys can be found in chemist shops.

Fermentation is considered the most important part of brewing. During fermentation yeast consume sugar and create co2 and alcohol. Depending the strain of yeast you use and the temperature of fermentation will greatly impart on the alcohol content and flavor of the beer. Fermentation science is a deep subject and a lot of variables affect fermentation. Iʼd suggest Yeast, by White & Zainasheff for anyone who gets addicted to the craft of beer.

The basic procedure to fermentation would be siphoning or pouring your cooled wort from the boil in the fermentation vessel, shaking or stirring the vessel to allow oxygen to get into solution, and finally adding the yeast. Depending on the variety of yeast you use will depend on the optimal fermentation temperature. Most ales will ferment around 18 ℃ and lagers around 12 ℃.

I would not suggest using hops that are sold as Chinese medicine. These hops are generally old, dried up and will impart some pretty bad flavors to your beer.

Sourcing Ingredients and Equipment

Malt, hops and yeast are easily found from suppliers on Alibaba, but generally these suppliers are only interested in selling in large quantities. Most suppliers sell malt in 50 kg bags and hops in 5 kg bags. If your going to go this route you should consider a good way to keep the raw material from spoiling. Malt is best kept away from oxygen. Airtight containers can be found pretty easily and some can hold the exact amount of a 50 kg bag of malt. Hops should be kept cold. I package my hops with vacuum sealing machine and throw them in the freezer.

Most home brewers will probably be more interested in buying smaller amounts. Octoberfest home brewerʼs supply Taobao shop or from Jiefei Food supply gear and ingredients for home brewers. Jiefei Food has some of the typical plastic buckets as well as homebrew kits and malt extract. The Oktoberfest homebrew store has grain, hops, yeast, bottles, caps, bottling equipment, malt grinders, thermometers, hydrometers, and anything else a home brewer might need- itʼs an excellent resource.

Chemicals and Sanitizers

One difficulty about brewing is finding appropriate sanitizers for equipment. Bleach and hot water is good for plastic buckets and spoons but not ideal for stainless steel. Pharmacies carry iodine which can be used to clean small stainless steal parts and can also be used for starch conversion tests.

Brewing Resources

Amazon.cn is a great way to get homebrewing books. They have a lot to choose from but the best book for a beginning home brewer is How to Brew By John Palmer. It’s the home brewer’s bible. If you are an over achiever or trying to hit two birds with one stone, you can also find Chinese brewing books- improve Chinese and get some brewing science down at the same. Another useful book is Brew Ware, this book focuses on designing and building equipment for your home brewery. Finally, the greatest resource you might find is other brewers. Whether itʼs a home brewer, craft brewer, or professional brewer, theyʼre usually pretty interested in talking about beer. There isnʼt one way to brew and it isnʼt always necessary to reinvent the wheel either. Talking to other brewers is sometimes the best way to solve problems and get suggestions.

Relevant Links:
Taobao
How to Brew (John Palmer)
Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation
Brew Ware: How to Find, Adapt & Build Homebrewing Equipment
Strong Ale Works in Qingdao

Photo Credits @ Strong Ale Works, except for the last image of SAW bottles copyright Marc Montebello

Watch videos of some of the performers on Youku and Tudou. This event features many of the Qingdao musicians from the Guitar Forums regularly held at Sonospace.

When: December 16, 7:30 pm
Venue: Sonospace Bookstore / 不是书店
Address: 100 Nanjing Lu (Creative 100) / 南京路100号创意园
Info: 8080.9565

Relevant Links:
Qingdao Guitar Blog
Sonospace Books
Creative 100
Fields of Gold Guitar School

When: December 14, 2011 (7:30 pm Tip Off)
Venue: Qingdao University Arena
More Info: 8268-4351

The teams meet at Qingdao’s CBA basketball venue, the Qingdao University Arena. Tickets (25 yuan, 60 regular, 200 VIP) are available at the gate (enter via south gate on Hong Kong East Road). View the full CBA standings on Asia-Basket.com. Find the Qingdao University Arena location on Google Maps here.

Anyone interested in working as a part time commentator covering the CBA in Qingdao, check out this forum post by RT Sportscast. Also, check out recaps of CBA games (with video) on Niubball.com.

Relevant Links:
NiuBBall (English)
Official CBA website (Chinese)
Official Qingdao Double Star website (Chinese)

CSR Sifang Locomotive is part of the state-owned China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation (abbreviated as CSR) which makes the CRH high speed trains for inter-city travel in China (Beijing-Tianjin, Shanghai-Hangzhou, Beijing-Qingdao, Shanghai-Nanjing to name a few) as well as the newer subway cars of the Beijing Subway and Guangzhou Metro.

The company recently signed huge contracts worth billions of yuan (RMB) with China’s Ministry of Railways. CSR’s Canadian joint venture partner Bombardier also registered a large maintenance deal with the ministry.

Read more about CSR Sifang and Bombardier from the financial news site CapitalVue:

CSR Corporation (601766,1766.HK), one of China’s top two train manufacturers, recently won several large contracts worth a total of 5.87 billion yuan, reports yicai.com, citing a company filing. Three of the contacts were signed with the Ministry of Railways, of which one contract worth 2.07 billion yuan for the maintenance of EMUs was won by CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock, a wholly-controlled subsidiary. Bombardier Sifang Qingdao, a joint venture of CSR Corporation, won a 360 million yuan contract from the ministry to also conduct maintenance work for EMUs.

Relevant Links:
CSR Sifang
CSR and Bombardier Sifang

Denali has Chinese subtitles and the 30 RMB entrance fee includes access to 3 “all you can drink” kegs of Tsingtao’s finest. Denali is being shown at Redstar in Creative 100, Room 401, Building 3 (100 Nanjing Lu just north of Jiangxi Lu).

For more info, call 8388.2269.

When: December 9, 2011, 7.30 pm
Venue: Redstar, Creative 100/ 红星创议100
Address:100 Nanjing Rd, Building 3, Rm 401 / 南京路100号三号楼401室
Tickets: 30 yuan (RMB)
Info: 8388.2269

Relevant Links:
InDeep Films

When: December 2, 7.30 pm
Venue: Steel Ruins Live House, 156 Zhen Hua Lu, Li Cang district
Address:李沧区 振华路156号北苑风景11栋02号（中国联通南对面医保城地下/医保城西侧楼梯下去左拐)
More Info: 153.1872.3188

More on Sucker from Rock In China:

Xi’an-based punk rock band tributing their original works to Rancid. Sucker stands for Sunshine in USA California: keep my eager heart to Rancid!!! Influenced by Rancid and The Clash, Sucker was originally formed by vocalist Yang Fan in his home town Luzhou, Province Sichuan. After recording his first demo tapes he came to Xi’an where he met musicians of the current line up (2007). The music turned more melodic with a certain kick of ska and multi elemental features.

Relevant Links:
Sucker on Douban

When: December 4, 8 pm
Venue: Freedom Cuba Live House
Location: 3 Tongshan Lu / 通山路三号
More Info: 136.6886.6600

More info on Fall Insects from Rock In China:

Fall Insects was formed in August 1998 with their name meaning “Autumn Bugs”. Around 2000, Fall Insects was one of the most important Beijing bands in the goth/industrial genre. Fall Insects had been interviewed by the Painkiller Heavy Music Magazine, published Painkiller #2.

They also appeared in an Hongkong film production called “Beijing Music and Ways” [北京乐与路] where vocalist play a role as main male role’s replacement lover and singer of a goth/industrial rock band. There is also a short scene where Fall Insects had a small performance in a club.

In May 2001, they performed during the Midi Music Festival 2001. The Band had been officially disbanded from 2003 onwards. In 2007, however, they regrouped with the following lineup: Ying Zi (Vo), Niu Ben (G), Yuan Qi (B), Gao Fei (Dr) and 劉光蕊 (Soundfragment) (Key). On December 25th, they performed in the Starlive during the 明日的栄耀 摩登十年星光夜–北京新声10年夜 event.

On April 17th, 2008, they performed at the D-22. On July 25th, they performed in the Mao. On September 28th, they rocked the 13 Club during the Third Metal Festival (第三届13金属音楽節). On October 10th, they performed in Tianjin’s 13 Club. On October 11th, they performed in the 13 Club. On October 18th, they rocked the Yugong Yishan.

On August 15th, 2009, they performed at the 奥体中心北門足球場 during the 夏日領航2009大型音楽季 festival. On August 22nd, they rocked the Starlive during their release party for their second official record The Dragon Tree. Further in October, their song 為了愛 is included in the compilation record Jing Yu Xuan 1 (VA). In November their song 国王 is included in the So Rock! Magazine (no. 92).

On May 4th, 2010, they performed at the Midi Music Festival 2010.

Relevant Links:
Map to Freedom Cuba Live House (Chinese)

When: December 16, 7.30 pm
Venue: Qingdao Grand Theatre / 青岛大剧院音乐厅
Location: 5 Yunling Lu, Laoshan district / 云岭路5号
Tickets: 180-1280 yuan (RMB)
Info: 8395.8807, 8066.5555

The Grand Theatre is near the Qingdao Museum in Qingdao’s Laoshan district. Tickets are 180-1280 yuan. Call for more info 8395.8807.

Relevant Links:
Qingdao Grand Theatre Official Website (Chinese)
More Info on Qingdao Grand Theatre

More than 600 judoists from over 60 countries are scheduled to compete. The event in Qingdao is the final Grand Prix of the year. Qingdao’s importance on the circuit is emphasized by the awarding of greater points here than at any other event this year. Winners will receive 200 points towards qualification for the 2012 London Olympics (compared to 100 points at this year’s previous events).

When: December 16-18
Venue: Qingdao Sports Center Guoxin Stadium / 青岛体育中心国信体育馆
Info: Chinese Judo Federation (Beijing) (10) 6701.2281
Info: Qingdao Municipal Sports Administration 8197.7070 / qdscmc@163.com

The competition begins December 16 at 10 am, after the official weigh in at the Haitian Sports Center Hotel at 7 am. The opening ceremony will be held in the morning on the 16th at Guoxin Arena. There will be daily awards ceremonies after each final. The organizers will disburse prize money totaling 100,000 US dollars during the 3 day event.

More on the Grand Prix from International Judo Federation (IJF) President Marius L. Vizer

We have now entered the final stretch before the London Olympics Games that will be held next year. Each event counts, every point is important. Athletes around the world will again be confronted on the tatami of the Judo Grand Prix, Qingdao 2011, to win a medal. The Grand Prix of Qingdao is also the last major event of the year, which will determine the final 2011 world ranking list that will allow us to invite the top 16 athletes per weight category to participate in the World Masters, Almaty 2012.

Relevant Links:
International Judo Federation

Photo Credit @ Tamas Zahonyi

When: December 8 – 9, 7.30 pm
Venue: Qingdao Grand Theatre / 青岛大剧院
Location: 5 Yunling Lu, Laoshan district / 云岭路5号
Tickets: 180-680 yuan (RMB) / 180-680 元
More Info: 8066.5555

Relevant Links:
Qingdao Grand Theatre Official Website (Chinese)
More Info on Qingdao Grand Theatre