Tongxiang Hu Sheep

Tongxiang Hu Sheep

Tongxiang Hu Sheep is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Tongxiang Hu Sheep is a specialty of Tongxiang in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province.

　　Tongxiang Hu Sheep has a long history of being raised in the area, with its ancestors being the Mongolian sheep from northern China. Records trace their presence back to the Song Dynasty. According to the Jiatai Wuxing Annals, during the Song Dynasty, “the area around Jiaxing was abundant in Wuyang (local sheep).” During the Ming and Qing dynasties, raising Tongxiang Hu Sheep became an important sideline for local farmers. In the late Ming and early Qing periods, the agricultural text Nongshu recorded that in Chongde and Tongxiang counties, “Hu Sheep were the main livestock of the area.”

　　　　The Tongxiang Hu Sheep industry has gradually grown and thrived, closely linked to Tongxiang’s mulberry cultivation and sericulture. Hu Sheep enjoy grazing on green grass and mulberry leaves in spring and autumn, and chewing on dried mulberry leaves in winter—almost the same diet as silkworms. As a result, the wool of the lambs produced has a silky sheen, soft and elastic in texture.

　　　　The uniquely favorable environment of “mulberry-covered hills and seas of leaves” has enabled the rapid development of Tongxiang’s Hu Sheep industry. According to surveys and statistics, Tongxiang has consistently accounted for over one-third of the national Hu Sheep population, ranking first among all county-level cities in China. Last year, Tongxiang had 223,800 Hu Sheep in stock and 300,000 were slaughtered for market.

　　Tongxiang Hu Sheep

　　 Tongxiang Municipal Bureau of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary

　　 13449613

　　 Hu Sheep (live)