Bai Bao – Tan Sheep Lambskin

Bai Bao – Tan Sheep Lambskin

　　Venturing into the vast foothills of the Helan Mountains or along the rolling banks of the Yellow River, you’ll see flocks of sheep rolling in like white clouds, sparking poetic thoughts—the verse “The sky is vast, the wilderness boundless; when the wind blows low, sheep and cattle appear” unfolds before your eyes. The Tan Sheep are descendants of Mongolian sheep, later migrating and breeding on the grassy plains along both sides of the Yellow River in Ningxia, becoming a unique and premium fur-producing sheep breed in the world.

The grasslands of Ningxia are dry with little rain but abundant in forage, featuring slightly alkaline and highly mineralized water—ideal natural conditions for raising Tan Sheep. The mutton of Ningxia Tan Sheep is rich in nutrients, tender in texture, and boasts a delicious, non-greasy, non-gamey flavor, making it a gourmet delicacy favored by food connoisseurs. Today, apart from supplying the local multi-ethnic population, Ningxia Tan Sheep meat is also transported to other provinces and exported to Arab countries.

The fame of Ningxia Tan Sheep mainly stems from the preciousness of their lambskins. When Tan Sheep lambs are around 35 to 40 days old, the hides are processed using chemical agents and advanced techniques to produce a type of fur known as “Ermao Pi” (literally “two-fur skin”). Ermao Pi is as thin as thick paper, yet tough, soft, and extremely lightweight, hence earning the reputation of “light fur.”

The fur of Ermao Pi is fine and smooth, snow-white in color, glossy like jade, with naturally formed locks of wool that resemble waves and feature up to nine bends, hence called “Nine-Bend.” Gently shaking the hide causes the wool locks to cascade down one after another, like gentle lake ripples or falling snowflakes—light, graceful, and mesmerizing. Winter clothing and hunting outfits finely crafted from Tan Sheep leather are lightweight, warm, comfortable, stylish, elegant, and luxurious, enjoying high prestige both domestically and abroad, and have long been a traditional export commodity of China. Blankets made from Tan Sheep wool are famed both in China and overseas for their uniformly long fibers, fluffy nap, glossy sheen, and elasticity. (Yinchuan)