China Savors Traditional Black Pigs As Wagyu of Pork
By Reuters | 31 Jan, 2026

China's growing middle class has begun yearning for the tender, fatty pork bellies of nostalgic memories after tiring of the super-abundant lean pork from cheap, fast-growing imported white pigs.

This mother preparing for Lunar New Year is spending over 1,000 yuan, or over $140, on black pork ribs, feet and sausages.

For Gao Xianghua, it’s worth every yuan for a better quality of meat.

She is one of the growing number of Chinese consumers bringing back the rich flavors of black pork.

Once a nostalgic treat, it is now marketed as the “Wagyu of pork", a name likening it to the premium Japanese beef that sells for high prices. 

The shift is a rare bright spot in an industry battered by years of oversupply and falling prices.

China slaughtered 720 million pigs last year, mostly fast‑growing white breeds, but cheap meat no longer guarantees profit.

Pig producers like Yang Xinchun say slow‑growing black pigs are giving them a lifeline.

He earned over $140,000 from just 1,000 black hogs in 2025, offsetting big losses from his white herd.

Yang started raising black pigs in late 2024 after learning that state-owned agribusiness giant Bright Food Group was shifting toward the premium market.

“2025 was a year of transition. The stock of white pigs remains substantial. However, our calculations indicate that based on our self-breeding operations, we're losing about 70 to 80 yuan per white pig on average. But with profit from just over 1,000 black pigs, we can offset this loss.”

Pig farmer Gao Qinshan says raising imported white breeds has become a losing business. And that black pigs simply taste better. 

"Because black pigs grow slowly, they don't need as much energy and protein to speed up their growth. Many pig farming operations are similar to those fast-growing chickens, which prioritize speed of growing. In other words, trading cost for time. We trade time for pork quality.”

Analysts expect black hog numbers to rise to as many as 32 million this year.

Demand is being driven by China’s rising middle class, as well as a return to traditional flavors many remember from childhood.

Today, the country has more than four dozen local black or black-dotted pig breeds, sold at varying premiums.

But observers say the niche market could fall into oversupply if too many producers rush in, and profits may not last.