Yuanxing
In its own language: 源興牛
A rare Tajima-line beef breed from Taiwan, black-brown and horned, saved by Lee Teng-hui
Yuanxing is a beef cattle line drawn from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle and kept in Taiwan. Animals are horned in both sexes with a black-brown coat, bulls reaching about 600 kg and cows around 400 kg. The small herd is raised for meat in the Hualien area.
- Beef breed traced to the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle
- Imported to Taiwan during the period of Japanese colonial rule
- Saved in 2016 by former President Lee Teng-hui from 19 founding head
- Bulls reach about 600 kg, cows around 400 kg, both sexes horned
- Now kept in Hualien on the east coast of Taiwan
What do Yuanxing cattle look like?
Yuanxing is a beef line bred from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle, the same stock that supplies Japan's famous marbled beef. Both bulls and cows carry horns, and the coat is a single dark brown-black shade across the body. Mature bulls weigh near 600 kg and cows around 400 kg. There is no hump, the build is taurine, and the two sexes look alike apart from their size and heavier horns on the male.
Where does the Yuanxing come from?
The line came to Taiwan during the period of Japanese colonial rule, when the colonial government brought cattle from Japan. After decades on the island the herd had dwindled to feral animals grazing the high pastures of Yangmingshan National Park in the north. In 2016 former President of Taiwan Lee Teng-hui located the remaining stock and bought the 19 head, before moving them east to his family's land in Hualien, where they have been kept ever since.
What the Yuanxing is known for
Yuanxing is described chiefly through what it is: a small, closed line of Tajima cattle with little outside blood added for many generations. Their survival on a cool upland range before 2016 suggests a hardy constitution in the face of damp, foggy weather.
How the Yuanxing is bred and kept
No herd book, breed society or formal breeding programme is recorded. The line rests on the 19 head bought in 2016 and has been bred on in Hualien as a closed conservation herd. Selection is simply for keeping the line going.
Yuanxing, drawn
What the Yuanxing is kept for
The breed is kept for meat. No milking, draught or sport use is mentioned.
The land and climate of the Yuanxing
Before 2016 the cattle lived as a feral group on the cool, wet highland grassland at Qingtiangang inside Yangmingshan National Park, a volcanic upland in northern Taiwan with year-round damp and mild temperatures. Since the move they have been raised on the warmer, humid east coast around Hualien, including Fenglin Township, in lowland farming country.
Who keeps the Yuanxing
The breed is tied above all to Lee Teng-hui, the former President of Taiwan, who located, bought and relocated the 19 head in 2016. After the move his family and local keepers in Hualien took on day-to-day care of the small herd.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Keeping Yuanxing cattle
Little is recorded about routine care beyond the relocation from cool upland pasture to the warmer east-coast lowlands. The animals are kept as a small breeding group rather than a commercial herd.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
Only 19 head were recorded when the line was gathered in 2016, and this is the founding number for the present herd.
Questions people ask about Yuanxing
What kind of cattle is Yuanxing?
It is a beef cattle line from Taiwan drawn from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle. Both bulls and cows are horned and carry a black-brown coat, with no hump.
Where does Yuanxing come from?
The line was imported from Japan to Taiwan during the period of Japanese colonial rule. The surviving 19 head were bought in 2016 by former President Lee Teng-hui and moved to Hualien.
What is Yuanxing kept for?
The breed is kept for meat. Nothing is recorded in the source about milking, draught work or sport use.
How big is a Yuanxing cow?
Cows weigh around 400 kg, with bulls about 600 kg. Heights are not given in the source but the breed is of medium build.
Is Yuanxing rare?
Yes. The breed was founded from only 19 head gathered in 2016 and is kept in small numbers around Hualien, with no herd book or breed society mentioned.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Yuanxing (beef cattle)", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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