EVOLUTION OF THE PEKINGESE TYPE 



the nature of the " Pekingese " breed of that period. This 

 argument, however, must not be given undue weight, for 

 there has been much communication between the Chinese 

 and Japanese courts at subsequent periods. It is quite pos- 

 sible that the modern Japanese spaniel has varied from the 

 black-and-white Pekingese, common in Peking, only within 

 recent years. In 1867 Dr. W. Lockhart wrote that " a small 

 black-and-white, long-legged, pug-nosed, prominent-eyed 

 dog " was one of the two kinds of Pug in China.* It has been 

 remarked that the Japanese is more apt than the Pekingese to 

 breed true. 



The Lo-chiang dog was a " pai " dog and consequently 

 small, "short-headed," and "short-legged" before A.D. 1000. 

 It was very possibly the Chinese pug and appears to have 

 been fashionable at the Chinese court from the beginning of 

 the eighth century to the middle of the eleventh century 

 possibly even to the removal of the capital from Hsianfu to 

 Peking, about A.D. 1153. 



During the Yuan Dynasty, 1206-1333, there are two refer- 

 ences to the " golden-coated dogs," which, on one occasion, 

 are called " nimble " dogs, " commonly bred by people them- 

 selves in their own homes." During the Ming Dynasty 

 (1368-1628) lap-dogs appear to have been out of fashion. 

 For the first two hundred years China was practically closed 

 to Europeans. Cats appear to have taken the place of dogs 

 in Palace popularity. That the dogs were still bred appears 

 certain, however. " The lion is tawny like the golden- 

 coated ' nao ' dog," remarks a book of the period .f 



The Manchus captured Peking in 1644. They favoured 

 the Jesuit priests and allowed a limited amount of trade with 



* " On the Skull of the Chinese Pug-nosed Spaniel or Lap-dog," by Dr. J. E. Gray, 

 F.R.S., Proc. Zoo/. Soc., 1867, p. 40. 

 f " Pen Tsao Rang No." 



47 



