CHAPTER XII 

 THE CHINESE LION DOG 



IN studying the origin of the Chinese lion-dog or shock- 

 dog, an origin which appears to be closely connected 

 with that of the Lhasa terrier, one or two points in the 

 history of Tibet may be borne in mind. There is no 

 recorded history of the country previous to the seventh 

 century A.D., the people having been steeped in barbarism 

 and devoid of any written language. The foundation of 

 civilized monarchy was laid on the conversion, in A.D. 652, of 

 Srong-tsan-gampo, who introduced Buddhism and the art of 

 writing from India. He had founded Lhasa in A.D. 639. 

 One of his wives was an Imperial daughter of China. 



In 663 the Chinese took Lhasa and burnt the royal palace. 

 Another of the Tibetan kings, Khri-srong-Ide-tsan, born 

 A.D. 730, is famous on account of his strenuous support of 

 Buddhism. His mother was daughter of one of the Chinese 

 Emperors. 



In 1253 Kublai Khan conquered all the east of Tibet. In 

 1645 the Chinese again invaded Tibet and conquered the 

 whole of the country, making the fifth of the Dalai Lamas, a 

 title which first came into existence in 1576, supreme monarch 

 of all Tibet. In 1653 he was confirmed in his authority by 

 the Chinese, and paid a visit to the Emperor in Peking. The 

 Chinese army again conquered the country in 1720, and 

 established the present system of government. 



The Chinese lion-dog (" Shih-tzu kou ") is so called chiefly 



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