The Liu's Mutton Restaurant has a long history and a great reputation in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi, and its mutton recipe has been handed down since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) for five generations. The rice flour is snow white and the soup is red with a strong, piquant flavor. It requires a top-grade sheep which is hung up and let to bleed after slaughtering. The sheep parts are put in a pot with some ginger and boiled over a small fire. Then onions, coriander, and other seasoning are added along with the animal's blood. The Compendium of Materia Medica reports that mutton as a tonic provides good nourishment for people and can strengthen the body. At the winter solstice, local people eat mutton with their families and friends and believe that this can drive away evil.