Qingdao, aka "Tsingdao", (as in "Tsingdao Beer" - which is how it is pronounced in Chinese, as opposed to "kingdao") has long been a famed resort destination for the Chinese. A former German treaty port during the turn of the last century, the picturesque coastal city is also known for its German architecture, that is, aside from the world-renowned beer which is itself a product created from the best of both worlds: German brewing technology and water from a local mountain spring (Mt. Lao) believed to be among the country's finest.