Niuyangroupengzhijiyi
01 · Historical Records
Beijing roast meat originated in the Ming-dynasty imperial court, then called 'eating roasted mutton'; it later spread to the common people and became popular in the streets and markets. 'Kaorou Wan' (Wan's Roast Meat) opened in the twenty-fifth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty (1686). The proprietor was a Hui man surnamed Wan from the Hui autonomous county of Dachang in eastern Beijing; his family began by pushing a cart selling charcoal fire and roasted beef, and after three generations of painstaking effort finally bought a property and set up a shop near Xuanwumen, under the name 'Kaorou Wan Ji,' later shortened to 'Kaorou Wan.' 'Kaorou Ji' (Ji's Roast Meat) was founded in the twenty-eighth year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty (1848). In the Qing dynasty, the Lotus Flower Market at Shichahai opened every year on the first day of the fifth lunar month; around mid-seventh month to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Ji Decai would push his cart to the bank of the Silver Ingot Bridge and set up a stall selling roasted mutton. After 1956, 'Kaorou Ji' developed even faster and its fame grew still greater.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Beijing roast meat mainly comprises the roasted mutton of 'Kaorou Ji' and the roasted beef of 'Kaorou Wan'; the roasting craft of these two houses represents the highest level of Beijing roast meat. Beijing roast meat has a long history, a distinctive flavor, strict selection of ingredients, and superb skill, holding a fairly high place in the culinary history of Beijing and of China as a whole. Roast meat is a distinctive local dish of Beijing: the sliced beef or mutton is first marinated, then placed on a specially made round iron griddle (also called a 'zhizi') for roasting. For over three hundred years, 'Kaorou Wan's' roasted beef has remained in constant favor, taking deep root among the Beijing people and binding closely with folk custom, handed down to the present day as an important representative of Beijing-flavored food culture and craft. The Ji family's roast meat glistens with oil and wafts its aroma, drawing many visitors to come and patronize it, and the business is exceedingly prosperous. From its founding to the present, 'Kaorou Ji' has never left Shichahai, and has become a distinctive local delicacy of the area; visitors eat the meat while taking in the scenery, to their great delight.
Marinating and grilling on the iron plate
Sliced beef or mutton is marinated, then grilled on a round iron plate whose centre gathers the heat and whose rim sheds it.
Marinade ratio and timing of seasonings
Wan Chunsheng built his own school in the ratio of the marinade, the timing of seasonings and the management of the heat.
The charcoal cart that became a shop
Kaorouwan began in 1686 as a cart selling charcoal and grilled beef, and only in the third generation bought a shopfront by the Xuanwumen gate.
The stall at the Shichahai lotus market
From a seasonal stall at the lotus market to a permanent shop by the Yinding bridge, the Ji family moved from cart to storefront over several generations.
Wan Huafu's line and the first outsider heir
Wan Chunsheng joined in 1986, apprenticed to Wan Huafu in 1988 and became the seventh generation and the first heir outside the founding surname.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The two branches of Beijing roast meat occupy the northern and southern ends respectively: the roasted-mutton branch around Shichahai, the roasted-beef branch around Xuanwumen. The two spots are several li apart and follow different paths, exactly suiting Beijing's temperament of 'each locale's people eat their own flavor': by the water at the Silver Ingot Bridge there is wind and the meat does not dry out; near the market at Xuanwumen the furnace fire is fierce, and only then does the oil-rich fragrance of the beef ribs come through. In the Qing dynasty, the Lotus Flower Market at Shichahai opened every year on the first day of the fifth lunar month; around mid-seventh month to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Ji Decai would push his cart to the bank of the Silver Ingot Bridge and set up a stall selling roasted mutton. Thereafter Kaorou Ji never left Shichahai, and became a distinctive local delicacy of the area. The dividing line between stall and shop is the two forms in which this craft took root in the capital.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Thereafter the Ji family's roast-meat craft, passed down through several generations, grew increasingly mature and refined, gradually changing from itinerant vendors to settled shopkeepers, and establishing the 'Kaorou Ji' name on the bank of the Silver Ingot Bridge. The roast-meat craft and business model of 'Kaorou Ji' embody the character of Beijing's food culture and folk culture, and are of fairly high research value. Wan Chunsheng (per the official archives of the associated inheritor): male, Han nationality, born in February 1962, a native of Beijing. Representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage item 'Beef and Mutton Cooking Craft (Beijing Roast Meat Making Craft).' Technician of Chinese cooking. Entered the Kaorou Wan restaurant in 1986; in 1988 studied Beijing roast-meat craft under Wan Huafu; the seventh-generation inheritor of Kaorou Wan, and the first inheritor from outside the family. Has mastered the beef and mutton roasting craft in full, developing his own characteristics in the ratio of the roasting sauce, the timing of seasoning, and the control of heat, and integrating traditional craft with modern tastes. His products are moderate in doneness and authentic in flavor, making him a representative figure in the inheritance and development of Beijing roast meat. Has actively participated in various display and outreach activities related to the inheritance project. Has taken on ten apprentices, all of whom have become technical mainstays of roast-meat making.
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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