Keywords: Suzhou cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, mutton, Lamb, Cangshu, Tianping Mountain

The “lake sheep” huyang was previously written as 胡羊 not 湖羊, with the 胡 in the former probably denoting its “foreign” or “barbarian” origin. This 胡 nomenclature dates back to ancient times. For example, the wide range of bing (饼) flatbread consumed across China is believed to have been introduced by non-Han peoples a long time ago, originally coined hubing (胡饼) “foreign bread.” Another example is the five tribal groups collectively referred to as the “Five Barbarians” or Wu Hu (五胡).
估计由于来自外地，最早的湖羊其实叫胡羊，犹如胡饼、五胡等词。

The huyang sheep were brought to the Lake Tai area sometime during Song Dynasty, as northerners migrated south and the (Northern) Song capital relocated from Kaifeng in the north to Lin’an (present day Hangzhou) in the south due to warfare.
宋朝时期大量北方的居民南移，还有从开封迁都临安，蒙古羊就这样被带到了太湖地区。

However, it would seem that the area already had some sheep or goat before the arrival of the original huyang. The name of the town Cangshu (藏书) literally means “to hide books,” originating from a tale about Zhu Maichen of Western Han Dynasty. Zhu was born in a poor family, he loved reading and would become so absorbed in his books that he lost track of his sheeps (or goats). To avoid criticism for reading, he had to hide his books, but his persistence paid off and Zhu went on to become a major official, which is why the town was named in his honor.
不过貌似藏书镇早就有牧羊历史。镇名源于西汉大臣朱买臣的故事，他出身贫寒但好学，甚至因为看书而把羊弄丢了，所以得把书藏起来，偷偷阅读。学习用功的他，终成大器。

Zhu did exist, and assuming that he did shepherd, it may be deduced that Cangshu has long been a suitable location for herding, no wonder why Mongolian sheep were able to settle and evolve into huyang. Cangshu town folks started selling mutton during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and supposedly the first mutton restaurant opened in the 22nd year of the reign of Guangxu Emperor of Qing Dynasty.
假设朱买臣真的曾经放羊，那算是说明藏书镇一带适合牧羊，难怪蒙古羊定居下来，演变成湖羊。据悉，明清时期就有藏书百姓卖羊，而第一家羊肉餐厅则是在光绪二十二年出现的。

PS: Here is a video about Chinese mitten crabs and “internal coldness” https://youtu.be/c2rpDeOdPsY
关于寒性的大闸蟹，看上面链接的视频。

PPS: Here is a video about instant-boiled mutton and “internal hotness” https://youtu.be/klmiSKseHGs
关于热性和热火的涮羊肉，看上面链接的视频。

Name: 新东方羊肉店
Add.: 穹窿路80号 (江苏苏州 Suzhou, Jiangsu)
Tel.: 0512-66936769
Cost (this meal): RMB 161/p
Price (online info): RMB 107/p

source