Sources disagree on whether China has already bypassed the United States to become the world‘s largest beer consumer, but one thing is sure: consumption is on the rise.
Numerous Chinese cities have their own breweries and brands of beer, either named after the city-for example, Tsingtao, Nanjing and Yanjing, like the ancient name of Beijing-or carrying other enticing names, such as Hapi Beer in Harbin.
Data from China's National Bureau of Statistics indicate that per capita beer consumption in China grew 12 percent annually  from less than three litres in 1984 to 22 litres in 2004-over a two-decade period.