Niuyangroupengzhijiyi
01 · Historical Records
Beijing Yueshengzhai was founded in the thirtieth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1765), by founder Ma Qingrui. Yueshengzhai's cooked meats were historically famed as court food, recorded repeatedly in Qing-dynasty histories, and many notable figures wrote inscriptions for it.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Because the shop was located south of the moon-shaped wall west of the Qianmen archery tower in Beijing, and opened during the Hui month of fasting (Ramadan), it was named "Yueshengzhai," meaning "flourishing month after month." Yueshengzhai was once famous for its braised mutton and roasted mutton, holding a high position in Beijing's halal food industry. The Yueshengzhai cooked-meat craft is divided into two categories—braising and roasting. Building on palace braised-meat techniques and folk traditions, it also incorporates traditional Chinese medicine's health-preservation theory and related pharmaceutical knowledge; more than twenty spices that both season and have medicinal value are used, so the meat is not only more delicious but also nourishing and health-promoting. The Yueshengzhai braised-and-roasted mutton craft is fairly complex and especially particular about heat control; beyond material selection, formulas, and the unique technique of blending old stock broth, it involves some twenty process steps including inspecting materials, choosing materials, adjusting the broth, and boiling. Throughout production, Yueshengzhai has always adhered to the principle: "Choose fine materials, with both fat and lean, never cutting corners on effort; use refined formulas for excellent color and taste, never sparing cost; work meticulously, braising and roasting alike, never sparing labor." The finished dishes are rich but not greasy, lean but not dry, crisp outside and tender inside, fragrant and crisp and refreshing, without gaminess or greasiness, with balanced saltiness, a rich aroma that pleases the palate, and a long aftertaste, blending meat, sauce, medicinal, and oily aromas. With social change, Yueshengzhai encountered many problems in its operations; factors such as unhealthy market competition brought this time-honored brand into difficulty.
Archived Records of Process Steps
The Yueshengzhai braised-and-roasted mutton craft is fairly complex and especially particular about heat control; beyond material selection, formulas, and the unique technique of blending old stock broth, it involves some twenty process steps including inspecting materials, choosing materials, adjusting the broth, and boiling.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Yueshengzhai braised-and-roasted beef and mutton craft belongs to the old-city food belt around Qianmen in Beijing; the shop's location south of the moon-shaped wall west of the archery tower was shaped by the flow of cooked-meat buyers and the daily needs of the Hui religious community. Cooked meat is divided into braised and roasted types: braising stresses soaking and boiling for flavor, while roasting stresses heat for crisp-outside-tender-inside. The old stock broth is the house foundation; blending broth must follow the seasons—renew the broth and clear old sediment.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In this sense, Yueshengzhai's beef and mutton products carry certain cultural connotations and hold research value for China's traditional food culture. Today Yueshengzhai undertakes the task of supplying daily-needed halal meat products to Beijing's Muslim population, and also provides specially required halal meats for major domestic and international conferences. The transmission of the Yueshengzhai braised-and-roasted beef and mutton craft now faces a serious crisis and urgently needs protection. Man Yunlai (per the official archives of the related inheritor): Male, Hui ethnicity, born June 1946, a native of Beijing. Representative inheritor of the third batch of the national-level intangible cultural heritage project, the beef and mutton cooking craft (Yueshengzhai braised-and-roasted beef and mutton craft). A technician of cooked beef and mutton at Beijing Yueshengzhai Halal Food Co., Ltd. He has taken on more than ten apprentices including Ma Qiang and Li Guangrui, systematically passing on the craft. With the company's support, he researched and revived products such as spiced braised ox tongue and spiced braised sheep trotters, and drawing on the traits and strengths of beef and mutton, developed over thirty new products including multi-flavored beef cubes, southern-style beef shank, cumin beef, bay-leaf beef shank, and clear-fragrance beef; these products have repeatedly won awards and sell well on the market.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Man Yunlai 03-1430
- Zhao Tiesuo 03-1431
- Chen Lixin 05-2862
- Wan Chunsheng 05-2863
- Wang Tianming 05-2864
- Ma Guoqiang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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