Ma Qing pheasant, commonly known as Qingyuan chicken, is named after countless sesame-like spots on the back feathers of hens. Qingyuan Maji is a small and high-quality broiler breed, and its appearance is characterized by "one wedge, two thinness and three hemp bodies".
"One wedge" refers to a wedge-shaped body with tight front and big back; "Two thin" fingers are thin and feet are thin; "Three hemp bodies" means that the back feathers of hens mainly have three colors of jute, brown hemp and brown hemp, and the neck length is moderate.
The cock's chest feathers, belly feathers, tail feathers and main wing feathers are mostly black, while the shoulder feathers and saddle feathers are purple. The first third of the hen's head and neck feathers are dark yellow, and the back feathers of jute, brown hemp and brown hemp account for 34.5%, 1 1.5% and 43.3% respectively, and there are a few other feathers, and the feet are mostly yellow.
There is a white villous band with a width of about 4 mm on both sides of the hatchling's back feather, which disappears after molting for the first time, commonly known as "frog back", which is a unique symbol of Qingyuan Maji.
Historical origin:
Qingcheng District, Qingxin County, Fogang County and yingde city in Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province are located in the north-central part of Guangdong Province, in the middle and lower reaches of Beijiang River, with convenient land and water transportation, mild climate, abundant rainfall and fertile land. Rice is the main crop, which is suitable for the development of chicken industry, so local farmers have the habit of raising chickens.
According to the Records of Qingyuan County, which began in the third year of Song Jianyan (1 129) and was revised and published in the tenth year of the Republic of China (192 1), Qingyuan chickens have been raised for local people since the Song Dynasty and have a history of nearly a thousand years.
Chickens play an extremely important role in the daily life of Cantonese people. However, whenever there is a festival, there is a festive banquet, and there is no banquet without chickens. There is a kind of Qingyuan chicken that is more delicious than "abalone with wings and belly". Eat chicken and eat Qingyuan chicken, so that Guangdong's traditional culture can be passed down from generation to generation. Qingyuan chicken has been widely raised by Qingyuan people since the Song Dynasty and has been enduring for thousands of years.
Qingyuan Chicken was famous in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macao before the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is an ancient and famous specialty in Guangdong. Guangzhou "Qingping Chicken" takes Qingyuan Chicken as raw material. In the heyday of Qingping Store, the daily sales exceeded 1,000, which made people in the industry sigh.