Jinnan Cattle

Jinnan Cattle

　　Jinnan cattle are bred in the Jinnan Basin, located in the southwestern part of Shanxi Province along the lower reaches of the Fen River. The Jinnan Basin lies in the lower Fen River valley, with abundant springs in the mountainous border areas, a mild climate, and features of a warm temperate continental semi-humid monsoon climate. Summers are hot and rainy, with an average annual temperature of 10–14°C, annual precipitation of 500–650 mm, and a frost-free period of 160–220 days.

　　Jinnan cattle are distributed across counties and cities including Wanrong, Hejin, Linyi, Yongji, Yuncheng, Xiaxian, Wenxi, Ruicheng, and Xinjiang in the Yuncheng region, as well as Houma, Quwo, and Xiangfen in the Linfen region. Among these, Hejin and Wanrong serve as conservation areas for the Jinnan cattle breed.

　　Jinnan cattle are a large dual-purpose breed used for both draft and meat production. They have a tall and robust build, exhibiting the physical characteristics typical of draft cattle. Bulls have moderately long heads, broad foreheads, and horns that grow with the hair (known as “facing the wind” horns), relatively thick and short necks, well-developed dewlaps, broad forequarters, inconspicuous withers, narrower hindquarters, large and round hooves with dense texture. Cows have more delicate heads, less developed udders, and finer frames. Their coat color is mainly dark red, with pink noses and hooves often also being pinkish. Jinnan cattle are large-framed with broad chests, long bodies, and wide chests and backs. Adult cattle tend to have more developed forequarters than hindquarters, giving them a strong build suitable for draft work.

　　Physical characteristics of Jinnan cattle: tall and sturdy build with strong bones. Bulls have moderately sized heads, broad foreheads, and wide mouths, commonly referred to as “lion heads.” Cows have delicate heads, broad and slightly raised withers, deep and wide chests, straight and moderately long backs, narrower rumps, solid limbs, large and round hooves with deep red hoof walls. Bull horns are round with thick bases, while cow horns are mostly flat, curving upwards, with wax-yellow coloring and dark red tips. The coat is mostly red, followed by yellow and brown, with glossy fur. Locals summarize the basic traits of Jinnan cattle as: lion head, tiger mouth, rabbit eyes, facing-the-wind horns, wooden-bowl hooves, front legs like pillars, and hind legs like bows. Bulls weigh 607.4 kg, stand 138.66 cm tall, measure 157.4 cm in body length, have a chest circumference of 206.30 cm, and a cannon bone circumference of 20.20 cm; cows weigh 339.4 kg, stand 117.4 cm tall, measure 135.20 cm in body length, have a chest circumference of 164.66 cm, and a cannon bone circumference of 15.60 cm; castrated bulls weigh 453.9 kg, stand 130.80 cm tall, measure 146.40 cm in body length, have a chest circumference of 182.90 cm, and a cannon bone circumference of 18.30 cm.