An Introduction to China's Eight Famous Pig Breeds and Their Producing Areas
Our country is the world's largest pig-raising nation, with a long history of pig farming. Thanks to diverse geographical, ecological and climatic conditions, a rich and varied resource of pig breeds has been formed. In 1973, at the National Local Pig Breed Conservation Conference held in Shunde, Guangdong, eight excellent breeds were designated. Below, the editor introduces China's eight famous pig breeds and their producing areas.
1. Ningxiang Pig
The Ningxiang pig, also called the Ningxiang native spotted pig, has a long history of formation. During rearing it is gentle in temperament and has extremely strong adaptability, with delicate meat and a delicious flavor, and it is known as an important national livestock gene bank.
Distribution range: The Ningxiang pig is produced in the area of Liushahe and Caochong in Ningxiang County, Hunan Province, and traders also raise it in places such as Xiangxiang, Anhua, Baoqing, Xinhua and Yiyang.
2. Huaibei Pig
The Huaibei pig is a famous North China type pig breed in our country, now found mainly in the area of Xuzhou, Lianyungang and Huaibei in Jiangsu. It is medium in body size, with relatively large ears, sturdy limbs and fairly dense hair, and during rearing it has advantages such as large litters, good adaptability and obvious heterosis, making it the main material for breeding new pig breeds in our country.
Distribution range: The Huaibei pig is mainly distributed in the Huaibei Plain and the hilly and mountainous areas of Nanjing, Zhenjiang and Yangzhou as well as the coastal areas. In the late 1970s, because the New Huaibei pig was widely promoted in the Huaibei region, most local Huai pigs were replaced by New Huaibei pigs and their crossbreds. By 1987, the central producing areas of the Huai pig were mainly concentrated in places such as Ganyu, Yizheng, Gaoyou, Liyang, Gaochun and Dongtai.
3. Luchuan Pig
The Luchuan pig is named after Luchuan County in southeastern Guangxi, where it originates. It has a long history. Compared with other pigs, the Luchuan pig is smaller in body size, matures early and fattens easily, and has delicious meat and rich nutrition, giving it very good market prospects.
Distribution range: The Luchuan pig is mainly produced in fourteen townships within Luchuan County, including Wenquan Town, Daqiao Town, Hengshan Township, Wushi Town, Tanmian Township, Liangtian Town, Qinghu Town, Gucheng Town, Shapo Town, Michang Town, Shahu Township, Mapo Town, Shanluo Town and Pingle Town.
4. Taihu Pig
The Taihu pig is the pig breed with the largest litters in the world and enjoys the reputation of a "national treasure". It is medium in body size, with sparse hair and large, drooping ears shaped like flue-cured tobacco. It has extremely strong adaptability and is also the breed with the strongest reproductive capacity among all known pig breeds worldwide.
Distribution range: The Taihu pig belongs to the Jianghai type pig breed. Wuxi is an important producing area of the Taihu pig, which is mainly distributed in the Taihu Lake basin in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region.
5. Jinhua Two-End-Black Pig
The Jinhua Two-End-Black pig, also called the Jinhua pig, is one of the famous excellent pig breeds in our country. It gets its name because the hair on its head, neck and rump is black while the rest of its body is white. Because its skin is thin, its bones are fine, its meat is delicious and its intramuscular fat content is high, it is the best raw material for curing ham.
Distribution range: The Jinhua Two-End-Black pig originates from places such as Huashui and Huxi in Dongyang, Yiting in Yiwu, and Xiaoshun, Lipu and Caozhai in Jinhua. From the 1960s onward, the scope of rearing gradually expanded to areas inside and outside the province.
6. Huzhu Eight-Eyebrow Pig
The Huzhu Eight-Eyebrow pig is a Chinese geographical indication product and a specialty of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Qinghai Province. It gets its name because its forehead has crisscrossing inverted figure-eight patterns. Owing to its specific germplasm resources, the Huzhu Eight-Eyebrow pig was formed through joint natural and artificial selection, and it has strong adaptability, good stress resistance and delicious meat, making it deeply loved by people.
Distribution range: The Huzhu Eight-Eyebrow pig is mainly distributed in areas at an altitude of over 2000 m, namely the 19 townships east of Sushan, south of Osaka Mountain and north of the Tangchuan, Halazhigou and Chuanshui river basins (Gaozhai, Hongyazigou, Halazhigou, Tangchuan, Wushi, Danma, Taizi, Wufeng, Weiyuan, Xishan, Caijiabao, Donggou, Donghe, Jiading, Bazha, Linchuan, Nanmenxia, Dongshan and Songduo).
7. Rongchang Pig
The Rongchang pig is one of the local pig breeds with the largest promotion area and the strongest influence in our country. It is named after Rongchang District in Chongqing, where it originates. Compared with other pig breeds, this breed is larger in body size and has characteristics such as strong adaptability, delicious meat and stable genetic performance.
Distribution range: The Rongchang pig is mainly produced in the two counties of Rongchang and Longchang in Chongqing, and later expanded to more than 10 counties and cities including Yongchuan, Luxian, Luzhou, Hejiang, Naxi, Dazu, Tongliang, Jiangjin, Bishan, Yibin and Chongqing.
8. Northeast Min Pig
The Northeast Min pig is an ancient local pig breed in Northeast China. Its breed characteristics include black hair over the whole body, a strong constitution, good meat quality and cold resistance. Because its meat contains abundant amino acids, its meat has a uniquely distinctive flavor and is deeply loved by the public.
Distribution range: The Northeast Min pig is an ancient local pig breed in Northeast China. At present, apart from a small number of large and small Min pigs raised in a few remote rural areas, the public mainly raises the medium-sized Min pig, which is mainly produced in Lanxi County, Suihua, Heilongjiang.
The above is an introduction to China's eight famous pig breeds and their producing areas. At present, all eight famous pig breeds nationwide are national-level pig genetic resource conservation breeds, and all have national-level genetic resource conservation farms.
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