Shanxian Qingshan Goat

Shanxian Qingshan Goat

The Shanxian Qingshan Goat is a geographical indication certification trademark.

The Shanxian Qingshan Goat is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Shanxian County is a major sheep-raising county in China. In 1986, it was designated by Shandong Province as an “Export Base County for Goat Hides,” in 1996 listed as a “National Straw-Feeding Sheep Demonstration County,” and in 1997 named the “Hometown of China’s Qingshan Goat.” The goat-raising industry in Shanxian is gradually shifting from scattered household farming to large-scale and specialized production, and from extensive management to scientific and high-quality breeding practices. It has become a leading industry in the county’s rural economic development and a key source of income growth for local farmers. The current inventory of Qingshan goats reaches 2 million, with nearly 1 million slaughtered annually. To support the development of the sheep industry, the county has established Qingshan goat breeding bases in several townships including Lahe, Chenmanzhuang, Kongji, Sunliu, Huayuan, Yanglou, and Caopuji. These bases house over 20,000 foundation ewes, supplying around 100,000 high-quality lambs each year. Additionally, Boer goats have been introduced and crossbred with local Qingshan goats to improve the breed. With poverty alleviation funds, more than 2,000 high-quality Qingshan goat breeding stock have also been brought in from surrounding areas and neighboring counties to enhance purity and vigor. Purebred breeding farms have been set up, along with the production of elite rams, improved cryopreservation techniques, and artificial insemination methods to elevate the quality of Qingshan goats. The processing and production of Shanxian Qingshan goat products are currently thriving. The Qintai Meat Processing Plant in Shanxian invested over 5 million yuan to build a Qingshan goat slaughtering production line with an annual processing capacity of 3,000 tons, specializing in the selection, cutting, storage, processing, and sales of goat meat. After the original Fengxiang Group Company was acquired by the county’s medicinal materials company, it invested 60 million yuan to launch a new production line capable of processing 10,000 tons of premium goat meat annually, with an annual processing capacity of 12,000 tons and an output value reaching 150 million yuan. In Xiguan, a technology for preserving canned concentrated goat soup has been successfully developed. Enterprises such as the Shanxian Sheep Gut Suture Factory, Leather Processing Factory, and Leather Goods Factory are undergoing significant reforms to enhance production capacity and quality standards, aiming to capture both domestic and international markets and drive rapid development in the county’s sheep industry.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Shanxian County is located in the southwestern part of Shandong Province, at the junction of eight counties across four provinces—Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, and Anhui. It has a population of 1.3976 million and covers a total area of 1,702 square kilometers. The Shanxian Qingshan Goat is primarily distributed across all regions of the county’s 22 townships (sub-districts). Its geographical coordinates are: 34°34′ to 34°56′ north latitude and 115°48′ to 116°24′ east longitude. The area belongs to the warm temperate zone of the Yellow River alluvial plain, with an average temperature of 13.9 degrees Celsius, a frost-free period of 213 days, and annual rainfall of 737.1 millimeters. The land is flat and fertile. Since ancient times, it has served as a vital passageway connecting the Central Plains and the Qilu region. Major roads such as the Jishang Highway, Dingdang Highway, He Xu Highway, and Shan Yu Highway traverse the county. Shanxian lies at the center of the “grid” formed by the Longhai, Beijing-Kowloon, Tianjin-Pukou, and Xinshi railway lines. Within an 80-kilometer radius of the county seat, there are six railway stations and two airports, providing convenient transportation.