Qianqian Meat from Qian County

Qianqian Meat from Qian County

　　Qianqian Meat is a rare and prized delicacy from northwestern China, with the most renowned variety coming from Longxi County in Gansu Province. But in the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, Qianqian Meat is made by curing and roasting the genitalia of a male donkey (also known as donkey penis). Every year during the cold winter months, many workshops in Chang’an would slaughter donkeys that could no longer work, remove the male donkey’s genitalia, clean out the urethra, and thoroughly wash them. The entire piece is then placed in a jar, layered with saltpeter, salt, and other seasonings, pressed tightly, and sealed to cure for about 15 days. After that, it is taken out, sun-dried, and then boiled in a pot with five-spice seasonings over low heat. Once removed and sun-dried again, it is cooked in a special marinade broth. This process is repeated several times before it is finally completed.

　　 　　Qianqian Meat is about a foot long and dark red in color. When eaten, it needs to be sliced into small, round pieces with a tiny hole in the center, resembling old-fashioned copper coins—hence the name.

　　 　　Qianqian Meat is flavorful, tender, chewy, and leaves a lingering aroma in the mouth after eating. It is regarded as a nutritious tonic. Since ancient times, it has been known as “the unique delicacy of Qian County.” As early as the Tang Dynasty, it was offered as a tribute to Yang Guifei, who also praised it greatly after trying it.

　　 　　In the 26th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty, when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi fled to Chang’an. Shanxi Governor Duan Fang, in an attempt to please and flatter her, specially presented the local specialty *Qianqian Meat* to the Empress Dowager for her to try. After tasting it, Cixi found it soft and fragrant, truly a unique flavor. She immediately issued an edict: “3,000 jin must be tributed every year.” This caused great distress among the people of Chang’an, little knowing how hard it was to obtain this item.

　　 　　Later, a clever and righteous individual, seeking revenge on Duan Fang, cunningly told Cixi that what she had eaten was made from the genitalia of a male donkey...

　　 　　Upon hearing this, Cixi flew into a rage, feeling nauseous repeatedly, and nearly vomited up everything she had eaten the day before. She decided to punish Duan Fang with the crime of ‘deceiving the sovereign’ and have him executed. But then she thought that if the story got out, it would damage her dignity as the Empress Dowager. So instead, she opted for the strategy of ‘pulling the firewood from under the cauldron’ and had Duan Fang removed from his post as Governor of Shaanxi.