Shenzhou Pig

Shenzhou Pig

　　Shenzhou Pig is a specialty of Shenzhou City, Hengshui, Hebei Province. The Shenzhou Black Pig belongs to a group within the Huang-Huai-Hai Black Pigs and is a renowned black pig breed in Hebei Province, as well as the only local pig breed in the region. It boasts excellent traits such as high fertility, good meat quality, tolerance to coarse feed, and strong disease resistance, making it a rare and outstanding black pig breed.

　　The Shenzhou (or Shenzhou County) Pig is an ancient local pig breed. Although its exact origins are unclear, it has a long history of being raised and was indeed developed over time through careful selection by local farmers adapting to the region's agricultural environment. Historical records indicate that Shenzhou once governed the counties of Raoyang, Anping, and Wuqiang. The area features poor soil, low incomes, and abundant wild grass, with unstable and generally low grain yields. To make a living, locals had to supplement crop farming with side occupations, and pig farming became a necessity. The region produced wheat, millet, grain, sweet potatoes, beans, corn, and peanuts, providing concentrated feed for the pigs. More importantly, the vast land offered plentiful grass and wild vegetables, ensuring ample roughage. Over time, under these specific agro-ecological conditions and through selective breeding, the distinctive Shenzhou County Pig emerged. Its meat is tender and delicious; it tolerates coarse feed and thrives on green fodder (its small intestine is 24 times the body length, and the large intestine is 7 times the body length); it has strong reproductive performance, high litter rates, good disease resistance, and wide adaptability.

　　The Shenzhou County Pig is relatively large in size, with large ears that droop past the snout, a long straight snout, a flat and narrow back and waist, sloping hips, sturdy and strong limbs, black skin and hair, thick skin, coarse and dense fur, and a dense brownish-red undercoat in winter (with 07–9 pairs). The head is of moderate size and can be categorized by shape into “Cucumber Snout” and “Multicolored Head” (which can be further divided into “Large Multicolored Head” and “Small Multicolored Head”), as well as a “Sparse Hair White Skin” type that falls between the “Multicolored Head” and “Cucumber Snout.”

　　1. “Cucumber Snout”: Named for its long, pointed snout. It has a straight, flat nose with little hair, shallow forehead wrinkles, a slender neck, a relatively narrow forepart, a concave and long back and waist, slightly drooping belly, sloping hips, weaker hind limbs, and a thick, large tail.

　　2. “Multicolored Head”: Named for its rough head, coarse and dense fur, wide forehead with many deep wrinkles. It has a large and stocky body, a thick neck, thick skin with many folds all over; the mouth is wide but relatively short, and its ears droop below the corners of the mouth; the forepart is well-developed, with a broad chest and slight concavity on the back; the hind part is not full, and the tail is thick and drooping; the limbs are large and the pasterns are relatively soft.

　　3. “Sparse Hair White Skin”: A type between the “Cucumber Snout” and “Multicolored Head.” It has a well-proportioned, plump build without a sunken waist, relatively sparse and short back hair, and an upturned snout.