Two experiments were conducted to clarify the utilization of nutrients in Chinese Meishan pigs by comparison with Landrace pigs. In experiment 1, breed differences in weight or length of the gastrointestinal tract were determined in pigs of both breeds from 30 to 120 days of age. The stomach of Meishan pigs was heavier than that of Landrace pigs. The small intestine of Meishan pigs was shorter than that of Landrace pigs. No breed differences were found in the length of the cecum or large intestine. In experiment 2, the apparent digestibility of diets containing 0, 5 and 20% of alfalfa meal was studied with 2-months-old pigs of both breeds. Nutrient digestibility in both breeds progressively decreased with increasing alfalfa. Meishan pigs showed higher digestibility of crude protein and crude fat than Landrace pigs. The digestibility of nitrogen-free extract, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, cellulose, and hemicellulose by Meishan pigs was lower than that by Landrace pigs. Total digestible nutrients in diets containing 0, 5 and 20% alfalfa meal were 75.7, 75.0 and 63.7 for Meishan pigs and 76.3, 75.3 and 62.7 for Landrace pigs, respectively. These results indicate that there is little difference between Meishan and Landrace pigs in the utilization and digestibility of nutrients