Historical background
Chinese Shar-Pei is, without a doubt, one of the most original-looking dogs. It is a very old breed, which is more than 2000 years old and emerged in times of the Han Dynasty. These early drawings and ceramics coming from those times show dogs, very similar to today’s Shar-Pei. The most likely place of origin of the breed is Dialak, a Chinese city in the province of Kwung Tung. Then it used to be a working dog used for guarding herds, hunting and guarding. It is believed that Chow Chow was an ancestor of the breed (both Chow Chow and Shar-Pei are characterized by a blue tongue), the Pyrenean mountains dog and Mastiff Tibetan. It was believed that the blue tongue, visible when the dog barks, frightened away the devil.
There were probably two racial types: well-built, muscular Shar-Pei from Southern China and stocky, short and acting as a shepherd in the central provinces of the country.
The most efficient and intelligent ones were chosen to work and kennel, and those that did not meet people’s expectations, were killed and eaten.
Shar-Pei also participated in the dog fighting, which was popular entertainment then. Shar-Pei’s wiry hair hindered their rivals from gripping by their skin, and small ears and deep-set eyes sustained minor injuries during the fight. These dogs were not aggressive, so it is possible that they were given some drugs to wake them up.
This breed was close to extinction when the decree issued by the Communist Party of China, in the face of enormous difficulties in supplying the population with necessary food, put ridiculously high tax on dogs. Few owners could afford to pay the tax, so almost all dogs, just like other non-profit bringing pets were eaten.
After this period, Chinese Shar-Pei was almost no longer seen. Fortunately, Matgo Law appeared. He was a Chinese man living in Hong Kong and a devoted lover of the breed. Almost at the last minute he decided to save this breed from extinction. Through the writings of the American Kennel Club he made the dramatic appeal for help to American readers. Their response was a salvation for this very endangered breed – over 200 amateurs reported. They just rebuilt step by step Shar-Pei population for which the United States became the adoptive homeland.
