The EWO Brewery Ltd. was established in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China in 1935 by Jardine, Matheson & Co. Ltd, p.26
Online version at Google Books
/ref> one of the largest

trading companies Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of credi ...

in the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

at that time. Beer production commenced in 1936, and Ewo Breweries became a public company under Jardines' management in 1940 with Chinese investors buying up 75% of the stock. The brewery, built in the

Yangpu District Yangpu () is one of the 16 districts of Shanghai. It is located in the northeastern part of downtown Shanghai, bordering the Huangpu River on the east and south, Hongkou on the west, and Baoshan on the north. The southern part of Yangpu Dist ...

then on the Eastern outskirts of Shanghai, was commandeered by the Japanese at the outbreak of the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

(1937–1945) but passed unscathed through the conflict despite its location at the centre of hostilities.

Pilsner Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brewery. History ...

and Munich types of beers were produced, both being considered suitable to the Far Eastern climate. Following the foundation of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 1949, new government regulations were introduced the following year which increased taxes, restricted currency exchanges and banned redundancies. The brewery was forced to reduce its prices by 17 per cent and lost $4 million annually. p.6
Online version at Google Books.
/ref> In March 1952, the British consul-general in Shanghai reported that EWO Brewery chairman Robin Gordon had been arrested by the Chinese authorities. p. 136 Gordon was brought before a People's Court and accused of failing to pay the wages of 240 workers. He was eventually released from prison on 20 March. Jardines withdrew from China in 1954, selling the brewery at a loss. Thereafter it became the Huaguang Brewery () producing beers such as "Shanghai Seagull" () and "Guangming" (). Today the building belongs to Japanese brewer

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...

External links

* Pictures of the EWO Brewery on the Yangpu People's Government web site

References

Defunct breweries Defunct food and drink companies of China History of Shanghai Jardines (company) Manufacturing companies based in Shanghai food and drink companies based in Shanghai Food and drink companies established in 1935 Food and drink companies disestablished in 1954 1954 disestablishments in China Breweries in China Chinese companies established in 1935 {{China-hist-stub