Chinese sausage is a generic term referring to the many different types of sausages originating in China. It is commonly known by its Cantonese name "Lap Cheong" or "Lap Chong" (written as "臘腸" in Chinese).
There is a choice of fatty or skimmed sausages. There are different kinds, ranging from those made using fresh pork to those made using pig livers, duck livers, and even turkey livers. Usually, a livery sausage will be darker in colour than one made without liver. Recently, there have even been countries producing chicken Chinese sausages. Traditionally they are classified into two main types. It is sometimes rolled and steamed in dim sum.
- La Chang (臘腸) is a dried, hard sausage usually made from pork and a high content of fat. It is normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned.
- Run Chang (膶腸) is made using duck liver.
- Xiang Chang (香腸) is a fresh and plump sausage consisting of coarsely chopped pieces of pork and un-rendered pork fat. The sausage is rather sweet in taste.
- Nuomi Chang (糯米腸) is a white coloured sausage consisting of glutinous rice and flavouring stuffed into a casing and then steamed or boiled until cooked. The Nuomi Chang of some Chinese cultures have blood as a binding agent similar to Korean Sundae
- Xue Chang (血腸) are Chinese blood sausages that have blood as the primary ingredient. Bairouxue Chang (白肉血腸) is a type of sausage popular in the North East of China that includes chopped meat in the blood mixture.