In 1892, the businessman and Chinese consul in Singapore Cheong Fatt Tze vulgo Chang Bishi (1840-1916) founded a winery called "Chang Yu" in Yantai in the Chinese province of Shandong. The name is formed from his family name and the Chinese characters for "prosperity". The founding of the company is equated with the beginning of China's modern wine history. Chang Bishi bought 67 hectares of land and introduced 150 European Vitis vinifera varieties for cultivation trials. He was aware that modern viticulture would only be possible with the support of European experts. The Austro-Hungarian consul Baron Max von Babo (1862-1933), the son of August-Wilhelm von Babo (1827-1894), head of the Klosterneuburger Weinbauinstitut), was hired as advisor and cellar master.
Max von Babo subsequently introduced barrels, presses and 400,000 Welschriesling seedlings of various clones from Austria and brought the winery to international renown with modern methods. Under Chang Chengquing (1872-1914), the founding nephew and first general manager, the Great Cellar was completed, over 3,000 hectares of vines were planted and many products were developed. In 1992, the "Changyu Wine Culture Museum" was opened in the Zhifu district, showing the long history of the winery with many artefacts, but also of other Chinese wine producers.
Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Company
Today, "Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Company" is a multi with international shareholders. It operates seven wineries in China, most of them imitations of French châteaux, and others abroad. The headquarters...
