CHAOZHOU, May 18 (Xinhua) -- The Chaoshan region in China's Guangdong Province is renowned nationwide for its beef hotpot, though very few cattle are raised locally. The Chaoshan people have a system of nomenclature for a dozen parts of the beef, which is a reflection of both the exquisite knife skills of the chefs and the pursuit of culinary excellence. According to official data, only 3,200 head of cattle were slaughtered in 2025 in Chaozhou, a major city in the Chaoshan region, whereas the city boasts over 2,000 beef hotpot restaurants and beef meatball processing enterprises, consuming about 90,000 head of cattle a year. Over 90 percent of the live cattle were purchased from Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Ningxia and other places across China. Thanks to supply chain integration and meticulous craftsmanship, Chaozhou, a city not known for cattle production, has developed a unique beef industry.