Shuangliu Huangjia Hemp Sheep

Shuangliu Huangjia Hemp Sheep

Shuangliu Huangjia Hemp Sheep is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Shuangliu Huangjia Hemp Sheep is also known as Chengdu Hemp Sheep. Huangjia Town is located north of Muma Mountain, 15 kilometers from downtown Chengdu, 7 kilometers from Shuangliu County, and 10 kilometers from Shuangliu International Airport. Nestled in the heart of Chengdu's Muma Mountain area, Huangjia Town is a base for Chengdu Hemp Sheep and enjoys the reputation of being the “Hometown of Hemp Sheep.” Chengdu Hemp Sheep has been certified by the National Ministry of Agriculture as “Pollution-Free Agricultural Product” and “Pollution-Free Agricultural Product Production Base.” Since 1999, ten Hemp Sheep Festivals have been successfully held, making it the earliest, most frequent, most influential, and most successful festival in Shuangliu. Huangjia Hemp Sheep has been featured in reports by central, provincial, municipal, county-level media, and Taiwan’s Eastern TV. In 2005 and 2006, CCTV-7’s program “Fortune Story” aired special reports on it. hWq

　　The sheep farming industry in Huangjia Town has a long history, originating from the time of the Yellow Emperor, developing under Cancong, and flourishing in modern times. An ancient text called “Qimen Dunjia” contains the following passage: “The Yellow Emperor dreamed of a great wind blowing, which swept away all the dust in the world. He also dreamed of a man holding a thousand-jin (unit of weight) implement, driving tens of thousands of sheep. The Emperor praised and sighed, saying: Wind is a symbol of authority and governance. When the dust is gone, what remains is the earth. Could there be descendants of the Wind surname in the world? As for the man with the thousand-jin implement, he possesses extraordinary strength. Herding tens of thousands of horses and cattle—such people are good shepherds. Surely there must be someone in the world surnamed Li and named Mu (meaning 'herd')." The “Records of the Grand Historian · Basic Annals of the Five Emperors” interprets the “Qimen Dunjia” phrase “a man holding a thousand-jin implement, driving tens of thousands of sheep” as follows: it refers to the Yellow Emperor finding a man named Li Mu at a large lake, who was then put in charge of herding sheep during a great storm. The Yellow Emperor’s decision to have Li Mu tend the sheep marked the beginning of a sizable sheep farming industry in China. To further develop the sheep industry, the Cancong tribe migrated from Diexi to the Chengdu Plain and settled in Shuangliu. Initially, the Cancong brought many varieties of goats, but over time, through natural selection, the superior quality Hemp Sheep became the dominant breed. hWq

　　The sheep farming industry in Huangjia Town has a long history, originating from the Yellow Emperor, developing under Cancong, and flourishing in modern times. An ancient text called “Qimen Dunjia” contains the following passage: “The Yellow Emperor dreamed of a great wind blowing, which swept away all the dust in the world. He also dreamed of a man holding a thousand-jin (unit of weight) implement, driving tens of thousands of sheep. The Emperor praised and sighed, saying: Wind is a symbol of authority and governance. When the dust is gone, what remains is the earth. Could there be descendants of the Wind surname in the world? As for the man with the thousand-jin implement, he possesses extraordinary strength. Herding tens of thousands of horses and cattle—such people are good shepherds. Surely there must be someone in the world surnamed Li and named Mu (meaning 'herd')." The “Records of the Grand Historian · Basic Annals of the Five Emperors” interprets the “Qimen Dunjia” phrase “a man holding a thousand-jin implement, driving tens of thousands of sheep” as follows: it refers to the Yellow Emperor finding a man named Li Mu at a large lake, who was then put in charge of herding sheep during a great storm. The Yellow Emperor’s decision to have Li Mu tend the sheep marked the beginning of a sizable sheep farming industry in China. To further develop the sheep industry, the Cancong tribe migrated from Diexi to the Chengdu Plain and settled in Shuangliu. Initially, the Cancong brought many varieties of goats, but over time, through natural selection, the superior quality Hemp Sheep became the dominant breed. hWq

　　Shuangliu Hemp Sheep, because its fur is yellowish-brown with evenly distributed black spots, is commonly called “Hemp Sheep”; and because the ancient King Kaiming’s capital was in Guangdu, and one night he “dreamed of the capital moving,” after which he “relocated to Chengdu,” it is also called “Chengdu Hemp Sheep.” hWq

　　In 221 AD, Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor in Chengdu, establishing the Shu Kingdom, and Shuangliu became the political and cultural center of the Kaiming tribal regime. Huangjia Town rapidly developed into a thriving agricultural and pastoral zone. In the 14th year of the Jianxing era (236 AD), the Di king Fu Jian of Wudu and 400 Di households were relocated to Guangdu County. The large-scale migration of the Di people further advanced the Hemp Sheep farming industry in Muma Mountain and gradually established the folk custom of eating mutton during the Winter Solstice. Starting from the 18th year of Jianxing (240 AD), Huangjia Town entered an era of large-scale production of “Mushan Hemp Sheep.” hWq

　　For thousands of years, the local people of Huangjia Town (and former township) have regarded Hemp Sheep production as an indispensable pillar of rural economic development. The popular saying at the time, “Three rabbits make you a county official, three sheep make you a county bank,” speaks volumes about the significant role “Mushan Hemp Sheep” played in the region’s economic growth. hWq