Abstract: Fame and market expansion of Xuanwei Ham were in fact preceded by those of Heqing Ham that had been well sold in west Yunnan, a fact adequately proved by Mandarin Chinese documents of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Completion of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway and improved preparation technique enabled it to rapidly seize the market in and out of Yunnan Province. In the period of Republic of China (1912-1949), Xuanwei Ham began to compete for bigger market share with other national brands, such as Jinhua Ham and Rugao Ham. Emergence of canned food and development of local industry and commerce gave birth to more than one hundred ham factories of varying sizes and bigger distributors in Xuanwei County alone and their strong demand for raw materials triggered further innovation of ham preparation technique. On the other side of the coin, the millennium-old preparation procedures were still followed in the rural areas of Xuanwei and other counties. Both the preparation technique and matching fermentation measures were further improved after the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.

Key words: Yunnan specialty, Xuanwei Ham, traditional preparation technique, local knowledge, historical situation