China's first domestically bred meat goat breed becomes key engine of prosperity

The Nanjiang yellow goat, China's first domestically bred meat goat breed, has evolved from a struggling local specialty into a key engine of prosperity in Bazhong, Sichuan province, over the past two decades.

The transformation is largely credited to Wang Qide, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and chairman of the Wulang Yellow Goat Breeding Cooperative, who gave up his catering business in Fujian province and returned to his hometown in 2006 after discovering a striking price disparity for the yellow goats.

"I saw Nanjiang yellow goats sold elsewhere for astonishing prices during Spring Festival, while farmers raising them remained poor," Wang recalled.

However, upon returning home, he discovered a critical problem: years of uncontrolled crossbreeding had left the purebred goats dangerously scarce.

Teaming up with the Nanjiang Yellow Goat Research Institute, Wang established a breeding farm and a sci-tech innovation center, creating a dual conservation system that has preserved 5,000 core breeding goats and 3,000 superior gene samples.