Pingyao Beef

Pingyao Beef

Pingyao Beef is a protected geographical indication product.

Pingyao Beef is a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　Pingyao Beef is one of the essences of China’s profound and time-honored food culture. As early as the Han Dynasty, there were descriptions such as “selling knives to buy calves, selling blades to buy cattle, and handling them with ease” referring to beef processing. With its unique flavor and long-standing reputation, Pingyao Beef was exported to various Asian countries as early as the Ming and Qing dynasties. Historical records from the late Qing Dynasty mention that when Empress Dowager Cixi passed through Pingyao, after tasting the beef, she was invigorated by its aroma, refreshed by its taste, and relieved of her fatigue. As a result, she designated it as an imperial tribute.

　　Pingyao Beef has long enjoyed a great reputation, though the exact origins are unknown. By the Qing Dynasty, it had already become famous throughout Shanxi. During the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, Lei Jinning and his descendants ran the Xingshenglei Beef Shop on Wenchang Street in the Pingyao Beef City for over a hundred years. By the end of the Guangxu reign, Ren Dacai and his son Ren Yangwen established the Zili Cheng Beef Shop on West Avenue in the city. The beef they produced could rival that of Xingshenglei and was also considered authentic.

　　Pingyao Beef features a traditional production process that is highly distinctive. From slaughtering live cattle, cutting raw meat, curing, and pot-boiling procedures and methods, to the use of salt, water, and even the timing and seasonality of processing, every aspect is meticulously managed. The resulting beef is bright red in color, tender in texture, rich but not greasy, lean but not tough, aromatic and delicious, and highly nutritious. It also offers benefits for the stomach and spleen.

　　In the early years of the Republic of China, Han Laibao from Xiguo Village opened the Longshengwang Beef Shop outside the southern gate of the county town; Han Zhaolin set up a beef processing workshop on West Avenue in the city. After that, the number of beef shops and workshops increased year by year.

　　After 1949, Pingyao Beef continued to be processed by private workshops. In 1956, during the period of socialist transformation, individual beef workshops were organized into cooperative groups under the unified management of the county food company. In the same year, the county food company specifically built a beef processing workshop, purchased supporting processing equipment, and appointed Lei Shiyu, the sixth-generation descendant of the original Xingshenglei brand, as the workshop director. They also hired Ma Shengfu, a master craftsman who had worked with Ren Yangwen at Zili Cheng Beef Shop since childhood, as the technical advisor to start producing authentic Pingyao Beef. Ma Shengfu personally trained more than ten apprentices, ensuring the inheritance of the unique techniques for making Pingyao Beef. That year, the Pingyao Beef produced by the county food company was rated as a national famous product at the National Food Exposition held in Beijing. By 1966, the production of Pingyao Beef remained normal. During the Cultural Revolution, beef processing was halted. After 1978, the county food company resumed beef processing, which remained handmade and seasonal. Meanwhile, private beef workshops gradually emerged. Villages such as Xiaocheng, Xiguo, and Nanzheng mostly continued using traditional methods to process beef. In 1988, the county food company inherited the traditional techniques of Pingyao Beef and invested 200,000 yuan to establish a beef canning factory, purchasing double-layer pots, high-pressure sterilizers, Guanyun Pingyao Beef pots, vacuum packaging machines, continuous sealing machines, and setting up a laboratory. They also launched a vacuum soft-packaging production line and obtained approval from the National Trademark Office to register the “Guanyun” brand. Some larger private beef producers also established vacuum soft-packaging production lines. In 1991, the county food company combined traditional techniques with modern technology to produce finely packaged beef in 500g, 250g, and 100g soft packs and portable gift box packaging, extending the shelf life to 12 months. In the same year, the Guanyun brand beef won the Silver Award in the National Spark Program during the Seventh Five-Year Plan period. The following year, it received the Excellent Exhibition Award at the first International SMEs New Products, Technologies Exhibition and Cooperation Fair. In October 1993, the Pingyao Food Company was certified as a “China Time-Honored Brand” by the Ministry of Commerce. In 1994, the Pingyao Beef Group Company was established, investing 9 million yuan to build a modern beef production line and supporting facilities at No. 23, Zhongdu Road South, outside the North Gate, and developing a series of Guanyun Beef products. In the same year, it won two gold awards at the 1994 Taiyuan Food Expo and the Chengdu National Spark Science and Technology Exhibition. In 1995, the Pingyao Beef Group Company officially began operations. In the same year, a fully enclosed beef processing production line was newly built. The Guanyun brand Pingyao Beef won the Gold Award at the Third National Food Expo. In 1997, “Guanyun” was recognized as a Famous Trademark of Shanxi Province. In 1999, Guanyun brand Pingyao Beef was certified as a Famous Product at the 1999 International Agricultural Expo. Other notable brands include Jinhao brand beef produced by Jinhao Food Co., Ltd., Yunqing brand beef from Yunqing Meat Products Co., Ltd. in Xiaocheng Village, Weizhuang brand beef from Weizhuang Food Co., Ltd. in Xiaocheng Village, and Nianhong brand beef produced in Xiguo Village. Pingyao Beef is sold across the country, including in Taiyuan, Beijing, Tianjin, Xi’an, and Zhengzhou.