People of Ningxiang, Hunan province, have been raising pigs for more than 1,000 years, and the region's colored pigs are one of the four most famous pig species in China.

湖南寧鄉(xiāng)人民養(yǎng)豬的歷史已經(jīng)超過1000年，寧鄉(xiāng)花豬更是中國四大名優(yōu)豬種之一,。

The breed is also nicknamed "panda pigs" due to their black and white appearance. They can only be raised in Ningxiang due to its unique weather and water conditions.

寧鄉(xiāng)花豬因其黑白相間的外表還被稱作“熊貓豬”,，且僅適應(yīng)養(yǎng)殖于擁有獨特氣候水文條件的寧鄉(xiāng)。

The breed nearly went extinct in 2000, as farmers decided raising the species wasn't worthwhile due to its lack of lean meat.

但由于其品種瘦肉率低,，當(dāng)?shù)仞B(yǎng)殖戶認為其經(jīng)濟價值不足,，在2000年一度面臨滅絕的局面。

Li Shuchu, president of Hunan Liushahe Hua Zhu Ecological Animal Husbandry Co, said his ancestors were all pig farmers, so he was determined to follow in their footsteps.

湖南省流沙河花豬生態(tài)牧業(yè)股份有限公司董事長李述初表示,，他的祖上就曾都是養(yǎng)豬里手,，于是自己決定跟隨他們的腳步。

He began to rediscover colored pigs in the county in 2003. He and his colleagues found seven boars and 50 sows that year, and he has since been devoted to protecting the breed and raising them on a large scale.

2003年,，李述初開始尋找純正寧鄉(xiāng)花豬,。他和他的同事們成功尋得純正血統(tǒng)的7頭公豬和50頭母豬，此后便一直致力于保護這一品種并進行大規(guī)模養(yǎng)殖,。

By working with breeding experts, the company has increased the percentage of the pig's lean meat and their breeding capabilities, he said.

李述初表示,，通過與育種專家合作,，公司成功提高了寧鄉(xiāng)花豬的瘦肉率和育種能力,。

It also signed cooperation agreements with high-end supermarkets such as Sam's Club, Hema and Metro AG, Li said. After more than 20 years of hard work, the company now sells about 120,000 pigs every year, with annual sales revenue reaching 300 million ($41 million). It has provided job opportunities for more than 12,000 local farmers, who can earn an extra income of 46,000 yuan per year, he said.

他還介紹，公司與山姆,、盒馬生鮮,、麥德龍等高端商超簽署了合作協(xié)議,。經(jīng)過20多年的努力，該公司目前每年可銷售約12萬頭豬,，年銷售額達到3億元（折合約4100萬美元）,，為當(dāng)?shù)?2000余名農(nóng)民提供了就業(yè)機會，農(nóng)民每年可額外獲得4.6萬元的收入,。

Yin Yulong, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said raising pigs has been very important for Chinese people since ancient times, as it has served as a key source of protein and income for farmers.

中國工程院院士印遇龍表示,，養(yǎng)豬自古以來對中國人來說就非常重要，因為它一直是農(nóng)民獲取蛋白質(zhì)和收入的重要來源,。

In addition, the feces of the pigs have been used as fertilizer. Fertilizer from pigs is more environmentally friendly than those made by chemicals, he said.

此外,，豬糞也能被用作肥料。他表示,，豬糞肥料比化學(xué)肥料更環(huán)保,。

Yin and his team have worked on protecting and improving the breeding of Ningxiang colored pigs for a long time. Through hybridization with foreign pig breeds, his team has increased the lean meat ratio of the pigs, making it more economically appealing for farmers to raise them, he said.

印遇龍帶領(lǐng)團隊花費了很長時間來保護和改善寧鄉(xiāng)花豬的養(yǎng)殖技術(shù)。通過與外國豬種雜交,，研發(fā)團隊提高了寧鄉(xiāng)花豬的瘦肉率,，使農(nóng)民更有經(jīng)濟動力進行養(yǎng)殖。

The researchers have also worked to improve the immunity of the pigs with Chinese herb medicine, which has reduced their rate of disease and has helped farmers make better use of the breed's feces, he added.

他補充說,，研究人員還嘗試用中藥來提高豬的免疫力,，成功降低了它們的發(fā)病率，并幫助農(nóng)民更好地利用寧鄉(xiāng)花豬的糞便,。

Gao Jingxia, a doctoral candidate at Hunan Normal University, has lived with 150 colored pigs at a farm in Ningxiang since July to conduct research on how to improve the feed conversion ratio of the pigs.

湖南師范大學(xué)博士生高靜霞,，從今年7月開始就駐扎在寧鄉(xiāng)一家農(nóng)場里，與150頭花豬共同生活,，研究如何提高寧鄉(xiāng)花豬的料肉比,。

She did not leave the farm until recently because it must be closed off from the outside world to prevent viruses from spreading. The pigs have been her research subjects and closest "friends" over the past several months, she said, adding that they are very cute and docile.

她直到最近才離開農(nóng)場，因為農(nóng)場必須與外界隔絕,，以防止病毒傳播,。在過去幾個月里，這些寧鄉(xiāng)花豬一直是她的研究對象和最親密的“朋友”,。她補充說,，它們非常可愛,，性情還很溫順,。

She put the pigs in the same breeding environment to observe which of them grew fastest, so that researchers can discover the key genes that prompt rapid growth, she said.

她將150頭花豬放在同一生長飼養(yǎng)環(huán)境中，觀察哪些豬長得更快,，這樣研究人員就可以發(fā)現(xiàn)促進快速生長的關(guān)鍵基因,。

She was under quarantine for several days before reentering the farm to continue her studies.

她在隔離了幾天之后才重新回到農(nóng)場繼續(xù)她的研究。

"It is tiring to do the research, but I want to continue and put the research results into actual use, so that the country can have better pig breeds. I am very happy that the research data is very promising for now, and my hard work has paid off," she said.

“這項研究做起來不容易,，但我想繼續(xù)下去并將研究結(jié)果應(yīng)用于實際,，以便國家能夠擁有更好的豬種,。我很高興目前的研究數(shù)據(jù)非常有希望，我的努力沒有白費,?！彼f。