Ma Guoqiang
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Ma Guoqiang, Male, Hui, from Wuzhong, Ningxia, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Niuyangroupengzhijiyi (Ⅷ-168). The tradition is documented in Wuzhong, Ningxia. Within the regional tradition and school record of Niuyangroupengzhijiyi in Wuzhong, Ningxia: In Ningxia, every household has the custom of cooking and eating hand-grabbed mutton, and all kinds of restaurants, eateries, and ordinary families can produce the pot recognized by the locals. Thus the foundation of this craft lies among the people rather than in the shops: led by establishments such as Laomao Hand-Grabbed and Guoqiang Hand-Grabbed, the surrounding households each have their own way of cooking it. Looking at its outward path, Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton spread along with the comings and goings of the Hui, Mongolian, and other peoples in the northwest, and outside Ningxia it is mostly seen in Halal restaurants. Making hand-grabbed mutton requires the four things of vessel, water, knife work, and special vinegar, so imitation elsewhere easily goes wrong: if the iron pot is not cast at Taiyangshan the minerals cannot be retained; if the deep-well water is not settled the broth tastes off; if the knife work does not cleanly remove the trimmings the meat is dry. The birth and development of this craft are of great significance for the study of the life and folkways of the northern ethnic groups and for enriching and developing the food culture of the Chinese nation. This craft arose from the old custom of the northwestern ethnic groups of sharing mutton by hand: the Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui, Kazakh, Uygur, and other peoples all eat sheep with their hands, and so in Ningxia it converged into one tradition. Ningxia lies in a sparse-rain, arid zone, with lush grass and thriving livestock; its mutton is plump and tender, with few and fine fibers, among which the wether and the wether lamb are the finest. The method of this region, over a hundred years, has still striven to keep its original flavor, not changing for the sake of outside dishes. The name comes from eating with the hands, not from the method: the sheep is generally served with the bone in, mostly cut into strips or chunks, and eating it by hand is its original form — which is also its greatest difference from the various finely sliced mutton dishes.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Ma Guoqiang is anchored in the documented technical standards of Niuyangroupengzhijiyi in Wuzhong, Ningxia. Within the documented technical tradition of Niuyangroupengzhijiyi in Wuzhong, Ningxia: Hand-grabbed mutton is a traditional food beloved by the Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui, Kazakh, Uygur, and other peoples living in northwestern China. The Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton making craft is a traditional beef-and-mutton cooking craft that circulates in Ningxia. Most of Ningxia is a sparse-rain, arid zone, rich in land resources, soil structure, mineral resources, and medicinal resources; with lush grass and thriving livestock, it is especially noted for the distinctive build and breeds of its cattle and sheep, and its unique savor, providing fine ingredients for the birth and development of the hand-grabbed mutton craft. Ningxia mutton is plump and tender, with few and fine meat fibers, rich in protein and various trace elements; most of the mutton used for hand-grabbed mutton is wether, with wether lamb best. The mutton is generally served with the bone in and mostly cut into strips or chunks, hence the name from eating it directly with the hands. This craft has special requirements regarding the cooking vessel, the water, the knife work, and a special vinegar. The cooking vessel is generally a large iron pot cast from iron smelted with Taiyangshan coal; cooking in such an iron pot containing trace elements keeps the minerals in the meat stable and prevents their loss. The water for cooking is chosen with great care: first let clean, unpolluted deep-well water settle for several hours until the quality softens to the right degree, then soak the mutton in the water for more than an hour before lifting it out, place it again in warm water at 40 degrees, then boil it fiercely for 20 minutes; after the mutton boils, skim the foam from the surface, add the prepared seasonings and salt, then switch to a gentle fire and cook until done before lifting it out. The secret of the mutton's freedom from gaminess and fishiness lies precisely in this. The knife work in cutting the mutton is meticulous: the skin tendons, bone bits, scraps, and pancreas must all be thoroughly removed. The pieces must be cut into strips of even thickness and appropriate size. And the special edible vinegar in the dipping dish helps bring out the taste of the hand-grabbed mutton, sending the delicacy into the diner's mouth together with its aroma. The Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton making craft, over a hundred years, has greatly preserved the characteristics and flavor of hand-grabbed mutton. In Ningxia, every household has the custom of cooking and eating hand-grabbed mutton. All kinds of restaurants, eateries, and ordinary families can produce delicious and authentic hand-grabbed mutton. The birth and development of the Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton making craft are of great significance for the study of the life and folkways of the northern ethnic groups and for enriching and developing the food culture of the Chinese nation. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The iron pot cast from Alxa coal iron": Meat is boiled in a large iron pot cast from coal iron mined at Taiyangshan, whose trace minerals keep the meat's own minerals from leaching out. "Settling well water and soaking": Clean well water is settled for hours until soft; the meat is soaked over an hour, warmed to 40 degrees, then brought to a rolling boil for twenty minutes. "Skimming, seasoning and simmering": Once boiling, the scum is skimmed off, salt and seasonings added, and the heat lowered until the meat is done. "Trimming sinew and bone fragments": Sinew, bone fragments, meat ends and the sweetbreads are all removed, so the meat eats clean and the broth stays sweet.
The iron pot cast from Alxa coal iron
Meat is boiled in a large iron pot cast from coal iron mined at Taiyangshan, whose trace minerals keep the meat's own minerals from leaching out.
Settling well water and soaking
Clean well water is settled for hours until soft; the meat is soaked over an hour, warmed to 40 degrees, then brought to a rolling boil for twenty minutes.
Skimming, seasoning and simmering
Once boiling, the scum is skimmed off, salt and seasonings added, and the heat lowered until the meat is done.
Trimming sinew and bone fragments
Sinew, bone fragments, meat ends and the sweetbreads are all removed, so the meat eats clean and the broth stays sweet.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Ma Guoqiang was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Niuyangroupengzhijiyi, with Wuzhong, Ningxia as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Niuyangroupengzhijiyi in Wuzhong, Ningxia: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Wuzhong, Ningxia as its declared area, and Wuzhong Cultural Center 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
This craft arose from the old custom of the northwestern ethnic groups of sharing mutton by hand: the Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui, Kazakh, Uygur, and other peoples all eat sheep with their hands, and so in Ningxia it converged into one tradition. Ningxia lies in a sparse-rain, arid zone, with lush grass and thriving livestock; its mutton is plump and tender, with few and fine fibers, among which the wether and the wether lamb are the finest. The method of this region, over a hundred years, has still striven to keep its original flavor, not changing for the sake of outside dishes. The name comes from eating with the hands, not from the method: the sheep is generally served with the bone in, mostly cut into strips or chunks, and eating it by hand is its original form — which is also its greatest difference from the various finely sliced mutton dishes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man Yunlai | Beijingyueshengzhaiqingzhenshipinyouxiangongsi | 03-1430 | Other regional school |
| Zhao Tiesuo | Alashanmeng, Inner Mongolia | 03-1431 | Other regional school |
| Chen Lixin | Donglaishunjituanyouxianzerengongsi, Beijing | 05-2862 | Other regional school |
| Wan Chunsheng | Judehuatiankongguyouxiangongsi, Beijing | 05-2863 | Other regional school |
| Wang Tianming | Guanyunpingyaoniuroujituanyouxiangongsi, Shanxi | 05-2864 | Other regional school |
| Ma Guoqiang | Wuzhong, Ningxia | — | 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。