Beidaihe Yang Sausage

Beidaihe Yang sausage is a traditional ham sausage made from pure lean pork, rose-red in colour, thinly sliced and tender, fragrant and savoury with a Western-ham character, a speciality unique to the Beidaihe coast of Qinhuangdao.

Yang sausage was founded around 1929 in Beidaihe by Yang Tingzhen of Jinan, Shandong, first as the "Shengli Sausage Shop." Yang had learned Western-style ham-sausage making at a German-run inn in Jinan and adapted the craft; its distinctive flavour led diners to call it "Yang's sausage," and it grew into Beidaihe's signature. It was listed successively as a Qinhuangdao municipal (2009) and Hebei provincial (2019) intangible heritage item.

Usually sold whole or vacuum-packed, it is sliced thin and served cold as a platter, or tucked into bread and paired with congee or wine; handy for home hospitality and gifts, it is the keepsake snack that visitors to Beidaihe habitually carry home.

Its rose-red appearance, Western-ham flavour and nearly a century of handcraft set Yang sausage apart from other Chinese sausages.