Jingyang Chicken

Jingyang Chicken

The Jingyang Chicken is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Since 1580, the eighth year of the Wanli era in the Ming Dynasty, when Italian missionary Matteo Ricci first came to China to spread Christianity, and later when Belgian missionaries introduced this chicken breed to Jingyang, it has been naturally crossbred and domesticated over many years. Documented in various sources, it grows to about 5 kilograms per year and is considered one of the premium tonic foods.

　　The Jingyang Chicken is a large-sized, meat-type local breed and is a rare poultry genetic resource in China. It is a protected geographical indication product of China, commonly known as the "Nine-Jin Chicken" or "Jingyang Nine-Jin Chicken." According to the *Jian Shi County Place Names Gazetteer*, “The Jingyang Chicken is large in size and excellent in meat quality, making it a well-known local breed throughout the province.” It gets its name from the Jingyang River area (middle reaches of the Qingjiang River) in Jian Shi County, Hubei Province, where it is primarily produced.

　　The Jingyang Chicken is a rare large-sized, meat-type breed among local chicken varieties. It features a large body size, gentle temperament, tolerance to coarse feed, high meat yield, excellent meat quality, delicious taste, and high nutritional value—especially rich in selenium and strontium, giving it tonic and health benefits. It is a rare meat-type local poultry resource in China.

　　The development of the Jingyang Chicken is closely related to the natural conditions of its production area, including the environment, climate, local produce, and the vast mountain pasturelands. Chicken farming is a traditional livelihood for local farmers with a long history, typically involving 20–30 chickens per household. In 2007, the total number of chickens raised reached 510,000, accounting for 47% of the county’s total poultry population. This included 15,000 chickens in the original breed farm across 96 family lines, 73,000 in the expanded breeding population, and around 58,000 chickens permanently raised in nature reserves (such as Shuangzhaizi, Longjiaba, and Dashuya).

　　The protected geographical indication area for the Jingyang Chicken includes the administrative regions of five towns in Jian Shi County, Enshi Prefecture, Hubei Province: Jingyang Town, Guandian Town, Huaping Township, Hongyansi Town, and Gaoping Town.