Funing Laomaorou (Old Moustache Meat)

Funing Laomaorou

　　Funing Laomaorou: Named after the nickname “Laoma” (Old Moustache) of its founder, Wang Xifu. It features a brownish-yellow hue, clean-textured meat with elasticity, deeply infused seasoning, tender yet not mushy texture, fragrant and smooth taste, richly aromatic smokiness, flies-resistant even in summer,1 long shelf life, easy to carry, and remains unspoiled when air-dried. This delicacy has a history of over 130 years

　　Nowadays, when people in the Qinhuangdao area mention local specialties, they think of Qinhuangdao’s No. 0 or Zhaojiaguan in Changli. However, during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, Funing’s Laomaorou was famous throughout the eastern region of Beijing and Tianjin.

　　On the west street of Funing County stood a Laomaorou shop opened by Wang Zeng from Jiuxian Village. Every day, a long queue of customers formed in front of the store, bustling with activity. Today, there is still a Laomaorou shop on Funing’s east street.

　　Laomaorou is named after the nickname “Laoma” (Old Moustache) of its founder, Wang Zeng. It features a brownish-yellow hue, clean-textured meat with elasticity, deeply infused seasoning, tender yet not mushy texture, fragrant and smooth taste, richly aromatic smokiness, flies-resistant even in summer,1 long shelf life, easy to carry, and remains unspoiled when air-dried. It has a history of over 130 years.

　　According to the *Wang Family Genealogy* from the sixth year of the Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty (1728), during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1403–1424), Wang Juxian migrated from Hongtong County, Pingyang Prefecture, Shanxi Province, to settle in Jiuxian Village in the Fentuo Management Area. The family lineage continued for generations, and by Wang Zeng’s time, although the family was large, none had achieved scholarly honors. Wang Zeng (1873–1958) moved to the west street of Funing County with his grandfather Wang Xifu at the age of nine, renting a house and starting a business boiling pig heads. Initially, he boiled only one or two a day, and business was not brisk. Ingenious and thoughtful, through repeated experimentation and careful crafting, he not only achieved vibrant color but also a deliciously tender taste, which greatly boosted sales—later he could boil over ten a day. Due to his unclear accent, every day he would carry the cooked meat to the base of the Drum Tower to hawk: “Sausages, roasted meat, o!” Locals couldn’t hear clearly and thought he was saying “maorou o” (moustache meat o). Over time, he earned the nickname “Old Moustache,” and his smoked pork became known as “Laomaorou.” After 1917, Wang Zeng continuously refined the production technique, making the “Laomaorou” delicious and palatable, with the fat being not greasy at all—earning high praise from customers. Even Zhang Zuolin, the Manchurian warlord, frequently sent people to the inland to buy “Laomaorou” as gifts for relatives and friends. As a result, “Laomaorou” gained great renown in the three eastern provinces as well as in Beijing and Tianjin. The preparation of “Laomaorou” is highly particular: the selection of meat is strict—no un-fresh meat, no overly fatty cuts—and it is cleaned meticulously, leaving no residual hair roots. The proportions of pork, pig head, and offal are carefully balanced to ensure the purity of the broth.

　　The “Laomaorou Restaurant” on the west street of Chengguan enjoyed considerable prosperity from the Qing Dynasty to the early Republican period, and “Laomaorou” was quite famous. In the spring of 1933, after the Japanese army occupied Funing City, the Japanese puppet regime and local despots brutally oppressed and exploited the people with excessive and oppressive taxes. Unable to bear the heavy burden, the Laomaorou shop declined sharply and never recovered. In August 1945, after Japan’s surrender, another force occupied Funing City, leading to hyperinflation, soaring prices, and a people’s livelihood in shambles. The Laomaorou shop struggled with poor management, operating in hardship until it eventually had to close down.

　　After the reform and opening-up, descendants of the Wang family made multiple attempts to revive the business, but due to factors such as production techniques, business concepts, financial constraints, and fierce competition in the catering industry, the results were still not ideal.

　　However, Laomaorou has always held a high reputation among the people of Funing and has even become a saying—an idiom included in the book *Fengwu Zhanggu Xiehouyu* (Local Anecdotes and Proverbs in the Form of Riddles) published by Guizhou People's Publishing House: “Funing smoked pork – Laomaorou.” It is used to describe someone who works slowly and inefficiently. Hence, in the Funing dialect, “meat” (rou) carries the connotation of dawdling or low work efficiency.