Sesame oil a signature product in Hebei

Daming, a county in Handan, Hebei province, about 450 kilometers southwest of Beijing, is famous for its locally made sesame oil.

According to historical records, the county had family workshops back in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and now boasts a modern sesame oil industry chain. The traditional craft of making the county's outstanding product — xiaomo xiangyou, or ground sesame oil, extracted from the plant's seeds — is now on national and provincial intangible cultural heritage lists.

The technique protects the nutrients of sesame from destruction during processing, residents say.

According to the local government, more than 30,000 residents in some 40 villages in the county are involved in the production of sesame oil. They produce 55,000 metric tons annually, about one-fourth of the country's total.

People from Daming operate more than 7,500 oil-making mills at home and abroad.