Chen Lixin

01 · Lineage & Regional School

In 1971 he joined Donglaishun, taking He Fengqing as his master to learn the hand-slicing of mutton, and later studied sweet garlic pickling under Jiao Zeng, eventually gaining a comprehensive command of the traditional techniques with consummate skill. Within the regional tradition and school record of Niuyangroupengzhijiyi in Donglaishunjituanyouxianzerengongsi, Beijing: Donglaishun instant-boiled mutton arose at the north gate of Dong'an Market on Wangfujing Street in Beijing; its craft, together with the rinsing pot, spread from the capital's halal restaurants to hot-pot shops in Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, and the Northeast provinces. Though what is produced outside is also called instant-boiled mutton, most no longer include the sweet-garlic line—the garlic must be freshly pounded from cloves to yield that pungent-sweet note, and a ready-made garlic paste loses half a grade, which is precisely a subtle mark for judging whether the craft has been transmitted correctly. At the table, the eating method of instant-boiled mutton diverges by place: in the capital a table gathers around, the mutton goes with sesame paste, plus leek flower, fermented bean curd, and scallion; outside the capital, it mostly proceeds alongside local hot-pot seasonings and assorted small dishes. Such branching is not deformation, but the result of the same craft falling on different soils—the base broth must still be clear, while the seasonings vary by place. The Donglaishun Restaurant is a representative of Beijing halal dining, founded in the twenty-ninth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty (1903), with a history of more than a hundred years to this day. Its original site was at the north gate of Dong'an Market on Wangfujing Street in Beijing, and its founder was Ding Deshan. In November 1955, Donglaishun became a joint state-private enterprise; in 1988 it was reorganized into a company, and in 2003 the Beijing Donglaishun Group Co., Ltd. was established.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in March 1955 in Beijing. He is a representative bearer of the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects in beef and mutton cooking craftsmanship (Donglaishun Instant-boiled Mutton Making Craftsmanship). He is a technician of Donglaishun instant-boiled mutton making. While practising, he has devoted attention to researching and systematizing the craft, compiling written materials and teaching videos including Deboning a Whole Sheep for Instant-boiled Mutton, Selected Cuts for Instant-boiled Mutton, Processing of Semi-finished Instant-boiled Mutton Products, Technical Essentials of Hand Slicing, Daily Use and Maintenance of the Slicing Machine, The Sweet Garlic Pickling Process of Donglaishun and Training Outline for Quality Inspectors at Donglaishun Mutton Bases. Within the documented technical tradition of Niuyangroupengzhijiyi in Donglaishunjituanyouxianzerengongsi, Beijing: Donglaishun instant-boiled mutton is a representative of northern hot pot, long praised as the "number-one rinse of China." The Donglaishun instant-boiled mutton making craft integrates multiple skills such as lamb dressing and slicing, hot pot making, sweet garlic making, and seasoning making, forming the eight great characteristics of Donglaishun instant-boiled mutton—fine selection of materials, beautiful knife work, fragrant seasoning, vigorous hot pot, fresh base broth, crisp sweet garlic, fine accompaniments, and complete auxiliary ingredients—creating, through the harmonious unity of color, aroma, taste, form, and vessel, a distinctive food-culture character. Donglaishun has long been loved by all sectors of society; whether government heads, famous scholars, or ordinary people, all flock to Donglaishun to taste authentic instant-boiled mutton. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Boneless cutting and selection of cuts": The craft unites whole-carcass boning, portioning, pot making, garlic sauce and seasoning into one operation. "The hand-cut technique": Cutting is the craft's crux: slices follow the grain, stay thin and even, and keep the marbling of fat and lean. "The sweet garlic sauce": Freshly crushed garlic blended with sugar and fermented bean curd is as indispensable to the dish as the lamb itself. "Eight defining qualities": Eight qualities — fine selection, beautiful cutting, fragrant seasoning, a lively pot, fresh broth, crisp garlic, fine accompaniments and a complete array of side dishes.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 1989 the instant-boiled mutton he produced on behalf of Donglaishun received the Golden Tripod Award of the Ministry of Commerce. In 1994 his hand-sliced instant-boiled mutton won a gold award at the First National Halal Cuisine Competition held by the China Cuisine Association. He actively trains successors, taking twenty-eight disciples including Xue Yuhang, Ma Jing, Wang Jinshan, Wang Yu and Zhang Lei.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Chen Lixin · National Representative Bearer Archive