Human-canine relationships in China

Abstract

In this chapter, I examine human-canine relationships as they are understood and practiced in China, situating them in a variety of historical and cultural contexts. I begin by looking at the origins of Canis familiaris in China, and from there, briefly trace the history of the human-dog relationship into the twenty-first century. In doing so, I highlight particular historical settings in which dogs featured prominently, such as in the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), wherein certain types of dogs functioned as symbols of royalty, the Cultural Revolution (1963-1973) during which a ban on keeping dogs as pets was in place, and the twenty-first century in which purebred dogs increasingly function as markers of wealth for the rising middle and upper middle classes. The chapter looks at how dogs have symbolically represented such values as loyalty and fertility as well as signified cruelty and suffering, have been eaten as delicacies in restaurants, and been used for ceremonial purposes as in the recently banned 600-year-old dog-eating festival held every year in Jinhua city, Zhejiang province. The chapter concludes by suggesting what future work might be done to elucidate how the canine body functions as contested terrain for political, economic, and social relationships among humans in China.