Chen Shuntong
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Chen Shuntong, Male, Han, from Jinhua, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Huotui Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-166). The tradition is documented in Jinhua, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Huotui Making Craftsmanship in Jinhua, Zhejiang: The Jinhua ham-curing craft is centered on the areas of Jinhua city proper, Lanxi, Dongyang, and Yongkang. The counties differ slightly in curing month and salt amount: Dongyang hams mostly use hind legs of 6 to 7.5 kilograms, while Yongkang shows greater skill in laying out and airing. Compared with northern dry-cured pig legs, the Jinhua line relies on a three-stage relay of low-temperature curing, mid-temperature dewatering, and high-temperature fermentation, finally developing aroma after entering the dog days. As early as the Tang dynasty, Jinhua already had the craft of curing ham. By the Ming dynasty, Jinhua ham was listed as a tribute product, produced throughout the Jinhua area including Dongyang and Yongkang. In 1905, Jinhua ham won a gold medal at the Leipzig World's Fair in Germany.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Chen Shuntong is anchored in the documented technical standards of Huotui Making Craftsmanship in Jinhua, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Huotui Making Craftsmanship in Jinhua, Zhejiang: Jinhua ham from Zhejiang Province is renowned worldwide for its bright color, unique aroma, tempting flavor, and handsome shape—the "four perfections" of color, aroma, taste, and form—and is a fine specimen of China's cured meat products. The subtropical climate with distinct seasons and the unique geography of the Jinhua area gave rise to a distinctive ham-curing craft. The pigs used for Jinhua ham are known as the "panda pig of China"; their head-neck and rump-tail are black while the rest is white, commonly called "two-headed black" (liang tou wu). They are moderate in size, with fine bones, thin skin, balanced fat and lean, tender meat, and full ham hearts. In curing the ham, its hind legs are used exclusively as the raw material. The pigs must be slaughtered between the Beginning of Winter and the Beginning of Spring of the following year; the hind legs selected for ham require white hooves, straight legs, intact shape, and a weight between 6 and 7.5 kilograms. Jinhua ham is generally cured at low temperature between the Beginning of Winter and the Beginning of Spring each year, then goes through a series of steps—mid-temperature dewatering, high-temperature fermentation—and finally develops aroma and matures after entering the dog days; the whole curing process is refined and complex. During production, various techniques—paring, cutting, trimming, pressing, twisting, tapping, cupping, and patting—are used to unify the ham's shape, giving the finished product the form of a bamboo leaf or a pipa lute. The cured Jinhua ham has lean meat of rose-red and fat that is crystal-clear and translucent; it is rich but not greasy, delicious in taste, and can retain its original quality for three to four years when stored at natural temperature. A thousand years of transmission has created the unique curing craft of Jinhua ham and the dietary and local folk culture associated with it. Thereafter, Jinhua ham's reputation rose steadily in international catering, becoming a premium seasoning in overseas Chinese cuisine. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archived Records of Process Steps": Jinhua ham is generally cured at low temperature between the Beginning of Winter and the Beginning of Spring each year, then goes through a series of steps—mid-temperature dewatering, high-temperature fermentation—and finally develops aroma and matures after entering the dog days; the whole curing process is refined and complex.
Archived Records of Process Steps
Jinhua ham is generally cured at low temperature between the Beginning of Winter and the Beginning of Spring each year, then goes through a series of steps—mid-temperature dewatering, high-temperature fermentation—and finally develops aroma and matures after entering the dog days; the whole curing process is refined and complex.
Core Technique I
Jinhua ham from Zhejiang Province is renowned worldwide for its bright color, unique aroma, tempting flavor, and handsome shape—the "four perfections" of color, aroma, taste, and form—and is a fine specimen of China's cured meat products.
Core Technique II
The subtropical climate with distinct seasons and the unique geography of the Jinhua area gave rise to a distinctive ham-curing craft.
Core Technique III
The pigs used for Jinhua ham are known as the "panda pig of China";
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Chen Shuntong was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Huotui Making Craftsmanship, with Jinhua, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Huotui Making Craftsmanship in Jinhua, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Jinhua, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Jinhua Huotuihangye Association as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
As early as the Tang dynasty, Jinhua already had the craft of curing ham. By the Ming dynasty, Jinhua ham was listed as a tribute product, produced throughout the Jinhua area including Dongyang and Yongkang.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yu Liangkun | Jinhua, Zhejiang | 03-1428 | Same declared area |
| Guan Shengkuo | Xuanwei, Yunnan | 05-2861 | Other regional school |
| Chen Shuntong | Jinhua, Zhejiang | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。