Hengshan’s Millennium-Old Tribute Chicken Reaches Everyday Dining Tables

Hengshan Yellow Chicken, also known as Xianghuang Chicken, has a breeding history dating back more than 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was selected as a royal tribute. Today, this once-exclusive “tribute chicken” has become a delicacy on everyday dining tables. Dishes centered on Hengshan Yellow Chicken—such as chicken stir-fried with tea seed oil and stewed chicken with Polygonatum sibiricum—represent authentic local flavors and attract visitors from afar.

Hengshan has now formed a modern, integrated industrial chain for Hengshan Yellow Chicken, covering breeding, farming, processing, logistics, and sales.

In 2018, Hualong Ecological Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. established operations in Hengshan and built a scientific research base the following year for the purification and rejuvenation of Xianghuang Chicken foundation breeding stocks. Equipped with an advanced intelligent breeding management system and a disease purification laboratory, the company focuses on the preservation and purification of the breed. Since 2021, Hualong Ecological Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. has been cooperating with Hunan Agricultural University and the Hengyang Academy of Agricultural Sciences to carry out systematic genetic breeding and disease purification programs, cultivating higher-purity core foundation breeding stocks through molecular selection and related technologies.

This undertaking also reflects a legacy passed down through two generations. Company chairperson Liu Xinhua has devoted many years to frontline breeding work. Deeply influenced by his father, his son Liu Jiahao chose to return home to support the business, starting with the construction of chicken coops and gradually taking part in enterprise management. Today, efforts to purify and rejuvenate Hengshan Yellow Chicken have achieved remarkable results, while supporting cold-chain logistics facilities and wholesale markets have also been put into operation. According to Liu Jiahao, the company will continue to expand industrial scale, enabling more high-quality agricultural products from Hengshan to reach markets nationwide and contribute to local development.

Improved product quality and smoother distribution channels have given Hengshan Yellow Chicken stronger “wings” to reach households across the country. Carrying both history and flavor, this signature dish is winning over an ever-growing number of diners with its rich and refined taste.