Chinese Two-Humped Camel

Camels are a group of the Camelidae family of mammalian order. In China, camels have been domesticated as livestock and used as a desert vehicle since ancient times. In the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), there was a well-known phase: "It is impossible to cross the desert without a camel", describing the difficulty in crossing deserts and Gobi on the way to Turkestan (the Western Region). In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), with the development of trade, camel caravans became common on the Silk Road.

Differing form the single-humped camels cultivated in Arabia, India and northern Africa, camels living in deserts of China and Central Asia are two-humped camels. The Chinese two-humped camels are mainly distributed in the western Mongolia, deserts and desert steppes in of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Gansu Province, where the quantity of camels accounts for 95% of that of the whole country. Chinese wild two-humped camels are rare and in severe danger, whose quantity is even less than that of the Giant Panda.

Among varieties of Chinese two-humped camels, "Allah Shan Camel" and "Sunith Camel" are the most famous.

Allah Shan League of Inner Mongolia has the most camels in China , enjoying the reputation of "home of camels". There are more than 100,000 two-humped camels in the region, accounting for 33% of the total amount throughout the country, and 25%of the amount in the world. Allah Shan two-humped camels cultivated in the region, with their large physique and excellent flock quality, have been affirmed as well-bred domestic animals of national class. They are endowed with particular abilities, such as enduring thirst, hunger, severe cold, heavy load, drought, sandstorm high-temperature and sickness. This region also boasts white camels, which are listed as world-class rare animals.

Sunith two-humped camel produced in Xilingol League of Inner Mongolia is a well-bred camel variety, which has the largest physique, uppermost flock yield and meat yield. Its meat tastes delicious; and its palm, hump and tendon are best materials for making delicious food.

Soource: Chinaculture