Qingping Pig

Qingping Pig

The Qingping Pig is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　The Qingping Pig, also known as the Yuxi Pig, originates from the banks of the Qingping River in Dangyang City (a local name for a section of the Zhang River within Dangyang). The main distribution hub is Yuxi Town in Dangyang City. This breed was developed through selection by local farmers and researchers, and was officially named Qingping Pig by the Provincial Livestock Breed Resources Committee between 1962 and 1965. In 1985, it was designated as an outstanding local livestock breed in Hubei Province, and in 1986, it was included in the *Chinese Pig Breeds Record*. By 1991, it had been recognized as one of the five major local pig breeds in China. This breed belongs to the Jianghai type, suitable for both lard and meat production, and is characterized by a short gestation period, high litter size, early maturity, quick fattening, and delicious meat. As one of the superior maternal breeds for crossbreeding improvement, it is widely sold to provinces and cities in Central and Southwest China.

　　The breed has entirely black hair, a medium build, and a fine, robust, well-proportioned, and compact physique with an upright posture. It exhibits strong adaptability, capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from -15.6°C to 40.9°C. Under rural feeding conditions primarily consisting of wild green forage and small amounts of bran, fattening pigs can reach 65–75 kg by 8–10 months of age, while two-way crossbred pigs can reach 90 kg by 6 months. Additionally, this breed demonstrates strong disease resistance and is suitable for rearing across various natural ecological environments, including plains, lake areas, hills, and mountainous regions. Fattening pigs are early-maturing, quick to fatten, have fine bones, tender and flavorful meat, strong adaptability, stable genetics, and are easy to raise in rural settings. These excellent traits make it one of the prime maternal breeds for accelerating the improvement of commercial meat pigs into lean, three-way crossbred (two foreign breeds and one local) pigs, offering broad application prospects. To better preserve this superior breed, it has been listed as a nationally key protected local livestock breed resource. Currently, a Qingping Pig purebred breeding farm has been established in Dangyang City, capable of supplying over 100,000 high-quality Qingping purebred sows and two-way crossbred sows to the market annually.