Beef is very popular and the second most consumed meat in China following pork. Beef is known as the "King of Meat" (肉中骄子) in China because of its high protein content, low-fat content, and delicious taste.

It also contains various trace elements including iron, zinc, selenium, manganese, and a variety of the B vitamins.

Medicinal Functions of Beef
In traditional Chinese medicine, beef is thought to have qualities that freshens breath, can nourish spleens and stomachs, and strengthen muscles and bones. According to traditional Chinese medicine dietary therapy, eating beef in winter can warm the stomach and is good for health.

Beef is More Expensive Than Pork
Beef is more of a select meat in China as there is very little land spare to graze cattle. It is sometimes considerably more expensive than pork, the Chinese staple meat.

Water buffalo or yak may be used instead of cow meat in some parts of China. In southern China, the bovine of choice is not a dairy cow but a water buffalo, used for tilling rice paddies. In Tibet, yak meat is more common than anything else.