Its history goes back to the Dynasty Han (206 a. Cs. - 220 d. C.), when being statues of dogs with winding wrinkles in the forehead that extended by the mantle, with square bodies, short legs and coil tails. Also have been vessels with drawings and engravings of dogs with characteristic similars, that could have relation with the Shar-Pei.

One thinks that its place of origin is the city of Dah Let, in the province of Kwuan Tung, near Corner. The farmers used like sheepdog to keep the flock and like protector from the home. Later, they were selecting themselves characteristic common to the present Shar-Pei, that was transforming it into a dog battle. Therefore, an ancestor very near the present Shar-Pei is the “Dog of Fight”, which was used in small cities to satisfy the taste by the fights between animals that had farmers and sailors. The “Dog of Fight” characterized itself to have the stiff layer and cuts, in order that was disagreeable in the mouth of the opponent; its skin was flexible and heavy, which allowed him to turn itself and to grasp to the opponent without it produced internal serious damages to him. Their ears were extremely small, whose function was to cover the ear and that did not withdraw to him in the combats.

However, the Shar-Pei was not a dog of fight by its lack of aggressiveness, reason why it thinks that even they provided drugs to obtain this aim to him. The black-bluish tongue that along with shares like unique and exclusive characteristic the Chow-Chow, makes believe the historians who the Chow-Chow played a very important role in the development of the present Shar-Pei.

As of 1949, the Comunism in China was restored, it practically took to the extermination to the Chinese canine races. Very high taxes prevailed for which they had dogs, because they were considered like a luxury article. Later, Mao Tse Dong declared that the dogs destined themselves for the privileged classes and ordered his extermination. Like consequence, the population of canine races underwent a reduction although they managed to survive some units in isolated places.

At the beginning of the Seventies, they survived few Shar-Peis, reason why a young person named Matgo Law, received a puppy of Shar-Pei as gift and began to be interested in the race. It was as much his interest that was dedicated to look for the most representative units of the race with the eagerness to reproduce them and to restrain its extinction. Like the number of found units he was little, were used all the lines available although they lacked pedigree. The consanguinity was used in order to obtain to unit with common characteristics and typical with the original type. Fearing for their extinction by the possible annexation from Hong Kong to China, Matgo Law along with Chun Ching Ming, had the idea to save the race sending it outside their borders.

In 1973, Matgo Law wrote a letter directed to the American magazine “Dogs” in which it exposed some photographies of puppies, their program of young and its preoccupation by the extinction. The magazine published the letter and the photos, and in answer Matgo Law it received hundreds of letters of American breeders of other races that wanted a pair. This fact caused the import of the race towards the United States.

In 1974, a sufficient number of unit like considering had entered the United States to form a club and in which the possibility that was discussed the dogs could be registered by the American Kennel Club.

In 1976, the name adopting the one of “Chinese Shar-Pei” changed to him and minimum prices of sale settled down, reason why the book Guinness of the record considered it like the rarest and more expensive dog of the world.  

The decade of the 80 was the time of successes for the Shar-Pei. A new standard put into effect that erased all reference of the Chow-Chow and the old Dog of Fight, and the race was accepted finally by the AKC. At this time also the first Shar-Pei was exported towards Great Britain, which supposed the extension of the race towards Europe.