Shar-pei breed history

The Chinese Shar Pei is an ancient and unique breed, perhaps related to the smooth coated Chow Chow and the Tibetan Mastiff.  The breed was developed as a working companion of farmers and peasants.  It is thought to have originated in the area around the small village of Tai Li in Kwangtung Province, and has existed for centuries in the southern provinces of China, apparently since the Han Dynasty around 200 B.C.  Statues bearing a strong resemblance to the Shar Pei have been discovered and dated to this period.  More recently, a Chinese manuscript of the 13th century has been translated; it refers to a wrinkled dog with characteristics much like those of the Shar Pei.

The name "Shar Pei" itself literally means "sand-skin", but translated more loosely as "rough, sandy coat" or "sand-paper-like coat" and refers to the two distinctive qualities of the Shar Pei coat – roughness and shortness – which makes the breed unique in the dog world.  The Shar Pei shares another distinctive characteristic with only one other breed, the Chow Chow, in having a blue-black tongue, which may indicate an ancestor common to both breeds.  However, proof of such a relationship is difficult.

The history of the Chinese Shar Pei in modern times is incomplete.  However it is known that following the establishment of the People's Republic of China as a communist nation, dogs were considered a luxury that took available food away from humans.  Taxes on pets essentially eliminated the dog population in China.  No dogs were seen in the cities and few dogs remained in the countryside.  During this time, a few breeders in the British colony of Hong Kong and in Taiwan acquired a few of the Chinese Shar Pei.  Matgo Law was one such fancier and in 1973 he and fellow breeder C.M. Chung began a campaign to save the breed with a plea for help in dog magazines.

The breed wasn't recognized by the Hong Kong Kennel Club until about 1968.  Subsequently the Hong Kong and Kowloon Kennel Association established a dog registry and registered the Shar Pei.  This organization still registers the breed today, as do other registries in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea as well as organizations in Europe, Canada and Great Britain.

In the United States, the documented history of the breed goes back to 1966 when a few dogs were imported from stock registered with the Hong Kong Kennel Club.  The American Dog Breeders Association registered a Chinese Shar Pei for J.C. Smith on October 8, 1970.  Strong interest in the breed increased in 1973 when Matgo Law of Down Homes Kennels in Hong Kong and fellow breeder C.M. Chung began a campaign to save the Chinese Shar Pei breed through appeals to dog fanciers in the United States.  The response was enthusiastic, and because of their rarity, a limited number of Shar Pei arrived in the United States in the fall of 1973.  The recipients of these dogs corresponded with each other and decided to form a national dog club and registry. 

The FCI's primary purpose was to promote the breed, maintain the stud book registry and to provide a standard for the breed.

The Chinese Shar Pei is the FCI 309 recognized breed.  What establishes a breed as a "pure breed" is the ability to perpetually recreate its likeness generation after generation.  The short harsh coat, the loose skin covering the head and body, the small ears, the "hippopotamus" muzzle shape and the high tail set give the Shar Pei a unique look all of its own.

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