Zhangping Air-Dried Duck 漳平风鸭
Zhangping Air-Dried Duck is featured among the local specialties of Fujian.
Zhangping Air-Dried Duck (漳平风鸭) is a salted, wind-dried Muscovy duck from Shuangyang Town (双洋镇) in Zhangping (漳平), Longyan (龙岩), Fujian. It is also known as Ningyang wind-dried duck (宁洋风鸭), a name taken from Shuangyang's past as Ningyang County (宁洋县).
How it is made
The duck is a local breed of Muscovy duck (番鸭) raised mainly on rice. The ducks are soaked through with mountain spring water and then processed by a traditional local method and formula. Drying relies on the cold uplands above 1,000 metres, where frosty wind, sunshine and clean air cure the meat.
Each year, once the Frost's Descent (霜降) solar term has passed, households begin salting and drying their ducks.
Flavour and texture
The finished duck is glossy and golden red, thick-fleshed and fragrant, with a flavour described as richer than that of ordinary cured meats. It is regarded as the dish most typical of Zhangping's traditional cooking.
Where it comes from
Old Ningyang was a busy county town where merchants gathered, and wind-drying ducks became a custom there early on, as a way of keeping food from times of plenty for the lean months. The craft is described as several hundred years old.
A local legend holds that when Zheng He (郑和) and Wang Jinghong (王景弘) sailed to the Western Seas, Ningyang wind-dried duck went with the official ships to Southeast Asia, together with narcissus tea, red mushrooms and sour jujube cake. The duck is also promoted as a local gift to take home.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Poached Hetian chicken 白斩河田鸡 →
Both are Longyan poultry specialities, but Hetian chicken is a fresh poached bird, while Zhangping Air-Dried Duck is salted and cured in frosty mountain air.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-23. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.