The Hunting Dogs Of China

Over the past two hundred years, a large number of European hunting dogs have proliferated: from the more ancient hunting dogs and molossers recorded by the Greeks and Romans in different parts of Europe in the classical period, to various gun dogs such as pointers and setters. However, Asian hunting Breeds are largely ambiguous in the Eurocentric world of canine appreciation. In fact, with the exception of the graceful Afghans and sleek Salukis, Europeans' knowledge of Asian dogs is almost exclusively in the Himalayas, the Tibetan Mastiff has gained more recognition in recent decades, and China's understanding of hunting breeds understanding is almost non-existent.

This knowledge gap is especially regrettable given China's importance as an early center of canine domestication. Genetic studies in recent years have shown that the Far East was one of the places where wolves were domesticated, and historical records show dog "breeds" from about Alexander the Great until the early Middle Ages.

Wave after wave of nomads - the Scythians, Huns, Sarmatians and Alanis - brought dramatic changes to the European political landscape and introduced new military technology from the East , inventions, artistic taste and exoticism. But they also brought something else - domestic animals, especially the nomads' faithful companions: horses and dogs. As an illustration, the Arano Spaniards, who were brought to the Iberian Peninsula by Sarmatian warriors in the late Roman period, were thought to have become extinct by the mid-20th century, showing how closely canines are connected to Europe and Asia. .

Since the rise of Inner Asian nomadism, with China's extensive interaction with the nomadic world, and the fact that large swathes of northern China were once pastures, how could China not have native hunting dogs and war dogs?

Interestingly, one of the earliest herdsmen groups in China, Xirong, sometimes called Quanrong, had a pair of white dogs as their totems. The name "Quan Rong" roughly translates to "dog warrior", and it's worth noting that the founder of the Zhou Dynasty -- in many ways, the first truly "Chinese" dynasty -- is culturally associated with Quan Rong . The tribes of Xirong were active in the pastoral areas of present-day northwest China, and their territories overlapped with contemporary Saka/Scythians. Although there is no written record, we can be sure that some form of cultural exchange must have occurred between the two groups, perhaps war and marriage.

Today, a native breed of hound still exists in western Sichuan province, where the descendants of the Xirong people settled. Readers can compare the appearance of the Sichuan East Hound in western China and the Spanish Alano Hound for themselves. In my case, their phenotypic similarity is remarkable and represents a common ancestor in the distant past. If I can go further, by assuming a connection between the ancient Chirons and the Scythians (two of the oldest nomadic peoples in the world), we can even assume an ancient dog breed that originated in the northwest/inland of China Molosser type Asia eventually spread to Europe through the trade and belligerence of ancient nomads?

My past travels in Western China have been limited to cultural exploration and social work, and I look forward to the opportunity to learn more about the local varieties there in the future. But trips to other places, especially Inner Mongolia and Guangdong - the north and south ends of the country - have exposed me to the quality of the native Chinese hounds.

As an adopted member of Orochen, the last hunter-gatherer in China's boreal forests, I am acutely aware of the social significance of hunting dogs, valued for their ability to track and hunt large game ranging from roe deer to wild boars and bears. In Orochen, the best The dogs are well-known wild boar trackers and are often bred for this purpose. Looking at Orochen's dogs today, it is difficult to speak of a "breed" in the modern sense, as dogs are bred for utilitarian purposes, and while care is taken for their upkeep and health, their living conditions are very primitive with little or no control breeding itself. Any dog that performs well in tracking and hunting is considered a good dog, regardless of color and shape. Generally, though, some of the best hounds I've seen have hound-like features, long limbs and a build built for agility and speed rather than strength.

At the other end of the country, southern Guangdong, subsistence farmers often augment their vegetarian diets with poultry, despite the economic dominance of agriculture, and more importantly, game caught in dense subtropical forests that never exceed a walking distance of Far from the village. The practice of hunting must have been especially important during the famines that periodically ravaged the region. The promise of game meat offers subsistence farmers in Guangdong—in fact, in mountainous provinces like Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan—a welcome relief from the arduous and endless tillage and the thrill and adrenaline of the chase. Freed. To this day, farmers and dog breeders in rural Guangdong and the New Territories of Hong Kong like to brag about how their dogs bring their prey back from the nearby woods.

As a traditional bone-mouthed Shar-Pei owner, I have had the privilege of getting a close-up look at the hunting instincts of these indigenous dogs. There is nothing more fun than roaming freely in the wild, dancing effortlessly on their feet, with their noses close to the dog's ground and their tails curled into a beautiful The crescents are always on the road like their ancestors - hounds to the bone.