Tongbao Beef

Tongbao Beef

　　1,250 years ago (the 14th year of the Tang Dynasty’s Tianbao era), during the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled to Mawei Slope with his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan. A mutiny broke out, and the soldiers demanded that “the Son of Heaven abandon the enchantress” — demanding Yang Yuhuan be executed. With a heavy heart, Emperor Xuanzong ordered her to take her own life. With the help of Gao Lishi and the imperial guards’ commander, Yang Yuhuan survived and escaped in haste, fleeing to the renowned mountain in northern Shu known as “Taipeng Fairy Mountain” (now within Yingshan County, Sichuan Province), where she took refuge in a temple. The imperial concubine found the temple food hard to swallow, and her health gradually deteriorated. A worshipper surnamed Li, who lived at the foot of the mountain, took pity on her upon seeing her condition. He gathered wild aromatic plants and spices to cook beef, which he then offered to the concubine. She found the dish fragrant and delicious, with a long-lasting aftertaste, which greatly stimulated her appetite. From then on, she frequently ate this dish, regaining her former vitality and beauty. The worshipper’s beef-cooking skills soon became widely known, and his unique recipe was passed down through generations. Today, Sichuan Tongbao Food Co., Ltd. has inherited this distinctive secret recipe and combined it with modern techniques to successfully develop Tongbao Beef, which carries the rich flavors of a thousand-year-old tradition.

　　Source: Yingshan County Tourism Bureau