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Shaoxing medics receive mutton donated by Mongolia for their efforts in the fight against the novel coronavirus on Dec 10. [Photo/shaoxing.com.cn]

The Chinese believe that eating mutton in winter can ward off the cold and nourish the body. But mutton from the 30,000 sheep donated by Mongolia that arrived in Shaoxing on Dec 10 has achieved more than that -- it has warmed hearts.

A total 36 boxes of Mongolian mutton were delivered to Shaoxing and distributed by the municipal health commission to 99 medics who served in Hubei province at the height of the epidemic there.

"I know about Mongolian mutton from TV but did not expect to taste it so soon," said Chen Yanjun, an employee of the Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital of Zhuji.

Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga announced that sheep would be donated to support the fight against COVID-19 during his visit to China in February.

The sheep were transported to China in October, where they were inspected and quarantined before being slaughtered. The processed mutton from 15,000 sheep was distributed throughout Hubei province to medics, volunteers, and workers, as well as to families who lost their relatives in the battle against the virus in Wuhan, capital of Hubei.