I knew there were plenty of donkeys in China – the sight of rawboned animals pulling carts is still common in the north – but only recently did I find out just how many: seven million, more than any other country. The donkey's value as a workhorse however has never completely spared it from the butcher's block. Indeed, the regard with which donkey meat is held in some areas is encapsulated in this saying: "In heaven, dragon meat, on earth, donkey meat." (天上龍肉，地上驢肉上). In other words, only God in heaven can eat meat more delicious.
According to E. N. Anderson donkey was commonly eaten during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). In the past most donkey meat came from animals at the end of their working life – meat guaranteed to be about as tender as pine bark, unless stewed for a long time. These days with motorised transport, the donkey's value as a cart animal or beast of burden is not what it once was, and the donkey is increasingly raised for the pot, its flesh selling for higher prices than beef or mutton in Beijing markets.
I have eaten donkey meat many times on trips to Shanxi, and it is flavoursome, and perhaps depending on how it is cooked, is redder than beef or mutton. I remember eating on two or three occasions a cold, jellied meat dish, a donkey aspic, that was excellent. There are many other dishes including a donkey sandwich, (which sounds delicious), stewed donkey, and as with other animals, most parts of the donkey are eaten for food or medicine.
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