Yunnan Horse

Yunnan Horse

　　【Major Production Areas and Distribution】 Primarily produced in the Wumeng Mountainous Region of western and eastern Yunnan. Distributed across counties such as Dali, Heqing, Eryuan, Jianchuan, and Binchuan in Yunnan.

　　【Historical Background】

　　The Yunnan horse was anciently called the Dian horse and is an old breed from southwestern China. Over the years, fossils of wild Yunnan horses have been unearthed in places such as Chenggong, Yuanmou, Zhaotong, Jianchuan, and Xichou in Yunnan, indicating that Yunnan was also a major habitat of wild horses.

　　 Since ancient times, wild horses from the region were continuously domesticated and gradually used for labor and military purposes. During the era of King Zhao of Qin (285 BC), the southwestern Yi region, as a vassal of Shu, had already widely used horses. In the Han Dynasty, Dian was part of the Yizhou Commandery, and merchants from Bashu traded in Zuoma horses, further promoting the development of the local horse breeding industry. At that time, the region was already famous for horse production, and Zuoma horses were used in warfare. The ancient overland routes from western Yunnan to various Southeast Asian countries during the Han Dynasty were all connected via horses. Brick carvings of horse-drawn carriages from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD) and murals in the Jin Dynasty tombs of Zhaotong both demonstrate that Yunnan was producing horses in large numbers more than two thousand years ago. During the Tang Dynasty, the Nanzhao Kingdom was established in Dali and continued to engage in trade with various ancient kingdoms in Southeast Asia, where horses remained the primary means of transportation. In the Ming Dynasty, a military horse farm was established in Yongsheng County. In more recent times, Dian horses have continued to be exported out of the province.

　　 The formation of the Dian horse is related to the local natural conditions and socio-economic needs. The production area features high mountains and deep valleys, with plateau and mountainous terrain interlaced, significant elevation differences, complex landforms, and sudden temperature changes—all of which greatly contributed to the development of the Dian horse’s excellent traits such as hardiness, endurance, agility, and skill in climbing. In the mountainous regions, poor transportation and lack of roads made people rely on horses for riding and carrying loads, while in flatland areas horses were used to pull carts. A large volume of goods was also transported over long distances by horse caravans. Every year, during traditional festivals and local trade fairs, competitions were held to select superior horses. The local people also provided proper nurturing and training to foals. All of this played a certain role in the formation of the Dian horse.