History

Statuettes from the Han Dynasty date the breed back to 220 B.C.,  when they are believed to have originated in the Chinese province of Guangzhou.

The shar-pei was  used as a working dog and visitors to southern China can still see them fulfilling their ancient tasks of hunting and herding.

In addition to their original work, some shar-pei were  also bred and trained for dog-fighting. Fortunately, this has had little influence on the character of the breed.

 Breeding for dog-fighting has given rise to one of the shar-pei's main characteristics: his short coat and loose skin made it difficult for an opponent to secure  a grip and this enabled the dog to twist, turn and fight back.

His hooked canine teeth gave him a firm grip and his small tight- set ears allowed an adversary little to get hold of.

As more successful European fighting-dogs were introduced into the Far East in the nineteenth century, demand for the shar-pei decreased and  the breed went into rapid decline.

 It was nearly lost forever following a population explosion which resulted in the intoduction of very high taxes on all dogs in China.

In 1947, the tax was further increased and all breeding was banned.

By 1950, only a  few specimens remained on offshore islands such as Macao and Hong Kong.

In 1973, Matgo Law, a Hong Kong breeder of shar-pei, appealed through American magazines for help to prevent the breed's total extinction.

From this small beginning came a remarkable revival in this unique breed.

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