The Chinese Shar-Pei, an ancient and unique breed, 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 (c. 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 make 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, the dog population of China was
essentially eliminated.
No dogs were seen in the cities, and few dogs remained in the countryside.
During
this period a few Chinese Shar-Pei were bred in Hong Kong, BC and in the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The breed was 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, 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, Hong Kong, appealed to dog fanciers in the United
States to "Save the Chinese Shar-Pei".
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 Chinese Shar-Pei
Club of America, Inc. (CSPCA), held its first organizational meeting in 1974, and the club has been in
continuous existence since that time.
The first Annual National Specialty Show was held in 1978 and
successive national shows have been held each year.
The Club's primary purpose was to promote the breed, maintain the stud book registry and to provide a
standard for the breed.
On May 4, 1988 the Chinese Shar-Pei was accepted in to the American Kennel
Club (AKC) Miscellaneous Class.
The CSPCA continued to represent the breed and operated the registry
until the AKC accepted the breed into the Non-Sporting Group on August 1, 1992.
The CSPCA continues
to promote the best interests of the breed, maintains the Standard and serves as a Member Club of the
AKC.