CHANGCHUN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) — In northeast China’s Changbai Mountains, the place temperatures have plummeted to beneath freezing, ranches are blanketed in snow, whereas hundreds of heads of cattle chew ensilage inside heat barns maintained at over 10 levels Celsius.
After being slaughtered, aged, lower and processed, the meat of Yan yellow cattle, a breed that includes thick bones and muscular necks, is reworked into premium delicacies served to company by worldwide resort chains in China.
“The key to a hamburger is its meat quality. I love this burger filled with this tender and flavorful beef,” mentioned a buyer surnamed Wan when tasting Yan yellow cattle meat at a restaurant of the Sandalwood, Beijing – Marriott Executive Apartments.
Nestled within the foothills of the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is widely known for its lush pastureland. Yanbian Animal Husbandry Development Company (YAHDC) pioneered the crossbreeding of Yanbian cattle with French Limousin to nurture Yan yellow cattle.
According to Lyu Aihui, the corporate’s chairwoman, indigenous Yanbian cattle share genetic ties with the Korean hanwoo and Japanese wagyu breeds, that are prized for his or her tender meat and dietary richness. However, Yanbian cattle historically endure from low yields and gradual replica.
“Hybridization preserves the meat quality while boosting nutritional elements like manganese,” Lyu defined. “It also enables large-scale breeding, with the company’s beef production reaching 3,500 tonnes in 2024.”
The firm has established 45 manufacturing bases in numerous townships of Yanbian — serving to over 10,000 husbandry households reap advantages by means of the rearing of Yan yellow cattle.
“In a good year, I earn up to 40,000 yuan (about 5,579 U.S. dollars),” mentioned 62-year-old stockman Liu Jingyi. He added that YAHDC has been offering coaching for locals, distributing free frozen cattle semen, and procuring beef cattle at an inexpensive value.
“Recognition from five-star hotels and their customers has boosted our confidence in the breed’s future,” mentioned Liu.
Since 2011, Yan yellow beef has featured within the type of steaks and patties at Marriott International manufacturers just like the Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Hotels in China. By 2017, the corporate had began to provide these inns with semi-processed merchandise of upper added worth, together with the likes of stir-fried beef and beef soup.
According to Wu Bin, a procurement staffer with Greater China for Marriott International, YAHDC is their first Chinese provider of intensively processed agricultural and husbandry merchandise.
Wu mentioned cooperation between the 2 firms not solely enriches resort ingredient choice through juicy and nutritious beef, but in addition advantages Marriott’s branding.
In 2024, the slaughter quantity of beef cattle in Jilin had doubled from 260,000 to 520,000 over the earlier 12 months — rating fifth in China’s provincial-level areas. To bolster the meat trade, the province has launched a collection of insurance policies and measures geared toward coaching farmers, selling breeding, encouraging intensive processing of higher-value-added merchandise and extra.
According to Yao Qing, deputy head of the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of town of Longjing in Yanbian, cooperation between native enterprises and worldwide manufacturers permits extra folks to study concerning the benefits provided by Yan yellow cattle, whereas additionally contributing to optimizing cattle rearing and product improvement — leading to improved incomes for livestock farmers.