The EWO Brewery Ltd. was established in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

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

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

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 District is one of the 16 districts of Shanghai. It is located in northeastern part of downtown Shanghai, bordering the Huangpu River on the east and south, Hongkou District on the west, and Baoshan District, Shanghai, Baoshan District on ...

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 (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

(1937–1945) but passed unscathed through the conflict despite its location at the centre of hostilities. Pilsner 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. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

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 brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...

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 Jardine Matheson Group 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