Yanchi Tan Sheep

Yanchi Tan Sheep

Yanchi Tan Sheep is a geographical indication protected product.

Yanchi Tan Sheep is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　  Tan Sheep is a versatile local breed of sheep, particularly renowned for producing high-quality lightweight lambskin. In 2000, it was listed by the Ministry of Agriculture as one of China’s unique sheep breeds under national protection. Yanchi County in Ningxia is located in the central arid belt of the region, offering specific natural conditions ideal for the growth of Tan Sheep. The area enjoys long hours of sunlight, abundant heat resources, hot summers, not-too-cold winters, and large diurnal temperature variations, all of which are conducive to the accumulation of nutrients in forage. Thanks to its uniquely advantageous geographical location, grassland quality, and historical legacy, "Yanchi Tan Sheep" has long been celebrated both in China and internationally for its premium-quality wool and meat.

　　  Geographical Scope

　　　    Fifteen out of the sixteen townships in Yanchi County, Ningxia.

　　  Special Characteristics

　　　　    Due to its unique environment, the lamb meat of the Tan Sheep is bright red in color, with evenly distributed milky-white fat and low fat content. The muscle fibers are clear, dense, resilient, and elastic, with a natural dry film on the surface. The cut surface remains moist and does not stick to hands. The meat is tender, not gamey or fishy, and is widely recognized as high-quality lamb. Under grazing conditions, adult wether sheep can weigh between 50 to 60 kilograms, while adult ewes can weigh 40 to 50 kilograms. Two-month-old lambs weigh around 6 to 8 kilograms, with less fat and even more tender and delicious meat. The fine flavor of Yanchi Tan Sheep meat has been well-known through the ages.

　　   "Yanchi Tan Sheep" is famed for its lightweight lambskin, which is soft and light—ideal for making high-end lambskin garments. Clothing and products made from Tan Sheep skin and wool play an irreplaceable role in people's lives.

　　       Yanchi Tan Sheep meat is a premium type of lamb. "Yanchi Tan Sheep" is one of China’s premium branded lamb products. Its meat is tender, with low and evenly distributed fat, low cholesterol, no gamey smell, and rich nutrition. It offers a special flavor and is believed to help prevent nervous system aging, promote digestion, clear internal heat, improve eyesight, detoxify, and nourish the body—making it highly favored by consumers.

　　  Cultural Stories

　　　　    Historical records about Tan Sheep before the Qing Dynasty are scarce. The "Xiaozhi of Yinchuan" published in the 20th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1755 AD) mentions: "All prefectures in Ningxia produce sheepskin, with Lingzhou yielding long-haired wheat-like fur, and fox fur also being commonly found." The character "穟" (sui) describes something that resembles the shape of grain, conveying beauty and elegance. The "Ningxia Prefecture Records" from the 45th year of Qianlong’s reign (1780 AD) states: "Zhongwei, Lingzhou, and Pingluo, being close to the border, benefit greatly from animal husbandry," and lists "Xiangshan sheepskin" alongside "Xiaoshuo rice, Ling salt, and Ning'an wolfberries" as one of the four most prominent local products of Ningxia at the time. By the late Qing Dynasty, Tan Sheep lambskin had already gained fame worldwide. The "New Gazetteer of Gansu" recorded: "Lambskins from Ningxia are particularly excellent." The two-month-old lambskin is fine, smooth, snow-white, glossy like jade, with naturally clustered fur tips resembling waves and up to nine bends—hence called "Nine-Bend Fur." Even today, two-month-old lambskin remains one of the "Five Treasures of Ningxia" (which include two-month-old lambskin, goji berries, licorice, Helan stone, and hair moss).

　　　  The unique geographical and natural environment of Yanchi County has seen the development of the Tan Sheep breed over more than two hundred years. The breed is renowned for its tender meat, lack of gaminess, and especially the famous two-month-old Tan Sheep lambskin. Through enclosed pen feeding, a preliminary positive cycle in the regional grassland ecosystem has been achieved.

　　　　  Two-month-old lambskin has long been hailed as one of Ningxia’s "Five Treasures." With a brand strategy in place, efforts have been made to comprehensively improve both the quality and quantity of Tan Sheep. By the end of 2006, the county had developed 34 demonstration villages for Tan Sheep farming, built 12 Tan Sheep breeding parks, and increased the number of households raising over 100 sheep to 2,447, those with over 500 sheep to 103, and those with over 1,000 sheep to 50. At the same time, organized programs were launched for cross-regional exchange of superior breeds, establishment of conservation herds and gene banks, and implementation of new technologies such as artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and artificial breeding. These advancements changed the reproduction rate from one lamb per year to three lambs in two years, significantly increasing the birth rate. "Tan Sheep are overachieving," leading to further improvements in farming economic returns. Under the branding strategy, Yanchi County proposed an industrialization path featuring scaled breeding, serialized processing, and cooperative organization. As the only Tan Sheep conservation area in Ningxia, Yanchi has established three major conservation zones across eight townships—mainly focusing on the fine grass vegetation of the southern mountainous area, the Ordos Plateau in the center, and the desertified region in the north. A major scale-breeding belt along the trunk highway axis has been carefully developed, along with a core breeding group of 20,000 top-grade purebred Tan Sheep ewes centered in the Chengxi Irrigation District. For this purpose, the county Party committee and government specifically set up a Tan Sheep Industry Science and Technology Demonstration Park and Breeding Center to cultivate and supply premium rams and breeding ewes to the entire county. A number of technical officials were also dispatched to assist large-scale farmers. These efforts have provided Tan Sheep with uniquely favorable growth conditions, earning Yanchi the title of "Hometown of Chinese Tan Sheep" from the State Council and official registration of the "Yanchi Tan Sheep" Geographical Indication Certification Trademark by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

　　　　  Recently, some Eastern European countries have also come to inspect the export of live Yanchi sheep. Through years of comprehensive management of the grassland ecological environment, the area of planted grass has reached 8.368 million mu, and the grass yield has increased from 45 kg/mu before the grazing ban in 2002 to 188 kg/mu—an increase of more than fourfold. Grassland productivity has risen from 68 kg/mu to 120 kg/mu, and coverage has increased from 30% to 56%. The booming sales momentum has boosted local enthusiasm for sheep farming. By the end of 2006, the output value of animal husbandry, mainly Tan Sheep, reached 242 million yuan, with per capita rural income from animal husbandry at 1,096 yuan, accounting for 46.88% of the per capita rural income. Balancing grass and livestock, the advantages of Tan Sheep and grasslands have been transformed into economic benefits. Yanchi County was the first in Ningxia to implement grassland grazing bans and enclosed pen feeding, achieving a preliminary positive cycle in the regional grassland ecosystem. Increased efforts in artificial grass planting and returning grazing land to grassland, along with projects such as the national Three-North Shelterbelt Program, grassland fencing, natural forest conservation, and Japan-funded desertification control, have led to the treatment of over 3.5 million mu of desert. In 2006, Yanchi Tan Sheep meat was sold to more than ten major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Zhengzhou. Direct increases in output value due to branding and extensive promotion amounted to 5 million yuan.

　　　　  The county’s 7.147 million mu of usable natural grasslands grow various types of high-quality forage. Coupled with artificially planted grass, they produce over 15 billion kg of high-quality forage annually, meeting the feeding needs of more than 1 million Tan Sheep and laying a solid foundation for developing the industry. Third is the numerical advantage. Since ancient times, Yanchi County, "close to Mongolia and the frontier, with residents relying on animal husbandry," has had generations of people traditionally engaged in sheep farming, accumulating rich experience. Second is the grassland advantage, providing uniquely favorable conditions for developing the Tan Sheep industry. In recent years, grazing bans and enclosed pen feeding have led to a steady rise in sheep numbers, reaching 1.21 million in 2006, with 580,000 slaughtered annually. Fourth is the geological advantage. The unique natural environment and water-grass conditions make it the most suitable ecological and geographical area for Tan Sheep growth, giving the breed’s meat, skin, and wool uniquely premium quality in China. Fifth is the locational advantage. Yanchi lies at the junction of five counties across four provinces (regions)—Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia. Surrounding areas all have traditions and habits of raising Tan Sheep. The regional characteristics of the "Yanchi Tan Sheep" brand have now formed a strong regional core.

　　　　  Fostering leading enterprises to achieve added value and efficiency through processing. Leading enterprises in high-quality forage processing, such as those processing alfalfa and caragana, have been supported, enabling reasonable development and utilization of 2 million mu of caragana and 484,000 mu of artificial forage, greatly boosting the vigorous development of the Tan Sheep industry. In recent years, the Yanchi County Party Committee and government have successively supported a number of lamb deep-processing enterprises led by companies like Rongbaoyuan and Yufeng, as well as enterprises processing Tan Sheep skin and wool led by Hengna, Zhongxin, and Meiya.