China: China ships beer to Tibet by train for the first time

For the first time, a cargo train loaded with over 1,000 tonnes of beer of a major Chinese brand has left for Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region ahead of a major festival, the state media reported.

The freight train departed the east China coastal city of Qingdao for the remote Lhasa city in southwest China on January 22, the Ji'nan Railway Bureau said.

The train will spend seven days traveling more than 4,000 km, said Xing Fangmin, head of the Jiaozhou Railway Station, where the train started its journey.

Traffic on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway has been suspended due to snow, making the railroad a good way to transport goods to the plateau region.

It is also the first special cargo train to transport beer from Qingdao to Tibet, Xing was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The beer shipment is intended to fulfil demand during the Spring Festival in Tibet. All of the packages and bottles are printed in Tibetan characters, according to sources with the Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd., the manufacturer of the beer.

27 January, 2016