Country of origin | China |
---|---|
Distribution | China |
Use | Draught |
Traits | |
Weight |
|
Height |
|
Coat | Yellow |
Horn status | Horned |
|
The Yanbian is a taurine breed of cattle that originated in northeast China. [1] They belong to the "yellow" class of Chinese cattle, [2] and are closely related to the Korean Hanwoo breed, having diverged from a common ancestor in the late 19th/early 20th century. [3] Unlike the majority of Chinese cattle breeds, Yanbian has had no ancestral breeding with indicine cattle. [4] They are mainly distributed in northeastern China, in the Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning Provinces. [3] In 2010, it was estimated there were 210,000 individuals. [5]
Females are 122 cm tall at the withers, 141 cm in length and weigh 365 kg on average; males are 131 cm tall at the withers, 152 cm in length and weigh 465 kg on average. [6] Their coat colour is predominantly yellow, and both males and females are horned. [5]
They are primarily used as draught animals, particularly in rice production. [6] They are also increasingly being raised for beef, [3] with a dressing percentage of 40-48%. [6] However, they have a slow growth rate, so production potential is limited. Yanbians were crossed with Limousins in 1987 to produce the Yan Yellow breed, which has improved beef production qualities. [2]