Guan Shengkuo - Representative Inheritor of Xuanwei Ham-making Craft Project in Xuanwei City, Qujing 

Guan Shengkuao (管升阔), born in February 1953 in Xuanwei City (宣威市), Yunnan Province (云南省), is a representative inheritor of the provincial-level intangible cultural heritage for the Xuanwei Ham (宣威火腿) making technique. He has transformed this traditional craft from a local artisanal skill into a modernized, industrialized enterprise, while promoting its cultural and culinary value.

?‍? Heritage and Apprenticeship

Guan Shengkuao is the third-generation inheritor of Xuanwei Ham craftsmanship. After graduating from middle school in 1971, he joined the Xuanwei Food Company (宣威市食品公司), where he apprenticed under masters Pu Zhoufu (浦周福), Pu EnSuo (浦恩所), Qian Xuekun (钱学昆), and Hu Cunben (胡存本), systematically learning the traditional techniques of ham production. Over 25 years, he developed expertise in the entire production process, gradually becoming a master craftsman.

In 1996, Guan left the company to establish Rongsheng Xuanwei Ham Co., Ltd. (荣升火腿有限责任公司), and in 2009 he expanded the enterprise into Yunnan Xuanwei Shengda Ham Food Group Co., Ltd. (云南宣威升达火腿食品集团有限责任公司), driving the industrialization and modernization of Xuanwei Ham.

✨ Craftsmanship Innovation and Achievements

Technique Innovations

• Improved curing process: Guan successfully developed a low-salt curing method, reducing the salt content from 10 kg to 5.5 kg per 100 kg of ham. This preserves the traditional qualities of Xuanwei Ham—pipa-shaped, thin-skinned, thick-fleshed, with balanced fat and lean—while producing a softer, more flavorful taste that aligns with modern health preferences.

• Product diversification: He developed a range of processed Xuanwei Ham products, including block hams, shredded snack hams, ham paste, and ham fermented beans, packaged in convenient standardized formats for consumers.

• Full industry chain: Guan pioneered a “company + base + farmer” model, overseeing quality from pig breeding and raising to processing, creating a complete, vertically integrated production chain.

Cultural and Technical Transmission

• Apprenticeship: Guan has trained over 400 apprentices, many of whom now work across Xuanwei Ham enterprises, forming a backbone for skill transmission.

• Standardization: He contributed to the national standard for “Geographical Indication Product Xuanwei Ham” and helped compile two corporate standards, ensuring standardized and regulated production.

• Media outreach: Guan actively promotes Xuanwei Ham techniques through social media platforms like Douyin (抖音), making this 300-year-old craft more accessible to a broader audience.

? Social Impact and Recognition

Guan Shengkuao and his enterprises play a key role in local economic development:

• Supporting over 3,000 households across 10+ townships through pig farming and ham production, increasing each household’s annual income by approximately 12,000 CNY, and creating numerous employment opportunities.

Honors and positions:

• National-level intangible cultural heritage representative inheritor (Xuanwei Ham Making Technique)

• Provincial-level intangible cultural heritage representative inheritor (Yunnan Province)

• Recognized as one of Qujing’s first “Zhuyuan Craftsmen” (珠源工匠)

• Former committee member of the Xuanwei Municipal CPPCC and vice president of the Xuanwei Ham Association

? Legacy

Having started his journey with Xuanwei Ham at the age of 15, Guan Shengkuao has devoted over 50 years to mastering, innovating, and promoting this traditional craft. He is not only a master of ham production but also a pioneer in modernizing and industrializing a centuries-old culinary heritage, ensuring that Xuanwei Ham continues to thrive and delight new generations.