A creature that has served us well

Cattle were used in wars to transport supplies. Even when dead, they could still be made into military apparel and weapons, hence the hides and tendon of dead cattle had to be submitted to the government in some dynasties.

The protection of cattle did not alleviate as time went by. From the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the slaughtering of cattle, even one's own, would induce penalties from whipping to death. Even when the cattle were old or ill, the owners had to apply to governmental entities for permission.

It might be surprising to know that even after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, beef was still a rare item, as private slaughtering was deemed illegal up until the late 1970s.

Only with the advancement of modern agriculture, in which farming cattle were replaced with machinery, did beef become a common ingredient for everyday dishes. Therefore, we should probably not take beef for granted. After all, it has been a luxury item for thousands of years.