The dog has turned from being a god to a pet in its 7,000-year relationship with the Chinese. As the Year of the Dog approaches, Yang Lili, Liu Jun and Wang Shanshan delve into the beloved animal throughout history.

A dog could have had much more "dignity" in prehistoric times than it does today.

Instead of being petted by man, it used to be worshipped as a totem among different tribes in China.

Although the status of a dog seems to have fallen, the animal has always been loved by man and this kinship started more than 7,000 years ago.

Since the Stone Age, people have been portraying the dog in art, and Chinese museums boast a rich collection of bronzes, ceramics, paintings and jade artifacts that put dogs at the centre of their designs.

It can be observed from these artworks that dogs were primarily hunting companions before the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), but became pets after people enjoyed an economic boom in the 7th century.

"A dog is as fast as an eagle and as fierce as a tiger," remarked Fu Xiuyi in his prose titled "A Tribute to Dogs," which was written during the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 265-316).

Adorable and loyal

Dogs have been good companions from as early as the beginning of human civilization. Their bones were found buried along with humans in New Stone Age ruins that have been excavated in Central China's Henan Province.

The dog headed the six domesticated animals, which included the horse, the ox, the pig, the rooster and the sheep.

Prehistoric people in China began to include dogs in drawings to decorate their pottery ware. The status of dogs was demonstrated in a pattern on a Neolithic Age pottery vase, which was unearthed at the Dadiwan historical site of Qin'an, Northwest China's Gansu Province.

Four muscular dogs fighting each other ferociously were painted with forceful brushwork on the vase that has been carbon dated to be around 7,000 years old.

The dog has also been worshipped as a totem in history and it played a role in the formation of time.

The Chinese people started matching the 12 Earthly Branches with animals in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). The 12 Earthly Branches and 10 Heavenly Stems were used to record the passage of time in a 60-year cycle.

The ancient Chinese calendar divided each day into 12 two-hour periods called "shichen." Each period was matched with the 12 Earthly Branches and their symbolic animals. As number 11 among the animals, the dog represented 7 to 9 pm.

Why did the ancient Chinese set the order of the 12 animals in this way? One of the legends goes that the animals do what they are best at doing during their respective hours. For instance, tigers represented 3 to 5 am, the time they would be roaming the woods in search of food, whereas dogs would be guarding the house from 7 to 9 pm.

Using animals to symbolize time was also practiced in ancient Babylon, Chenla (today's Cambodia) and India, though different animals were used.

The dog was the god who safeguarded people during the night, according to "Classics of Mountains and Seas" (Shanhaijing), a series of books about prehistoric tales written by unknown authors in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

In the Zhou Dynasty (1046-221 BC), there was a special post established in the court to take care of dogs.

Dogs were not only companions, they were seen as powerful protectors in the other world and much evidence has been excavated to support this claim.

At the Yinxu Ruins in Anyang of Central China's Henan Province, remains of dogs have been found, dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC).

The image of a simplified dog stands for "quan" (dog) among the pictographs found on the tortoise shells or animal bones of the Shang Dynasty.

And in November 2002, archaeologists found 397 tombs and 18 horse-chariot tombs belonging to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) in the centre of Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province. In the largest chariot tomb, which included 53 horses and 26 chariots, experts unearthed the remains of seven dogs.

Wind and luck

The dog was also considered to be "god of the wind," according to Yi Jing (I Ching), or Book of Changes, a more-than-four-thousand-year-old Chinese classic of Fengshui masters.

Even today, members of the She ethnic group in Southeast China respect dogs as their ancestors.

A painting in the collection of the National Museum of China, titled "picture of ancestors," told how a dog transfigured into a great general, married a She princess and became an ancestor of the ethnic group.

As the "god of wind" or "general," the dog was considered a man's best friend being both powerful and trustworthy, a suitable partner for the princess.

The She minority who live mainly in East China's Fujian Province still worship the dog. On New Year's Eve, they put up a painting of the God of Dog. The family members each held a piece of bone in the mouth and crawl on four limbs around a table, then worship and sing towards the painting.

The ancient Chinese regarded the dog as a lucky sign. If a dog came to a house, the family would happily accommodate the animal in the belief that it would bring good fortune.

The colour of a dog also became the subject of fortune-telling. Traditionally, the Chinese thought that yellow dogs were the most auspicious. A yellow dog with a white tail would ensure that the owner did not need to worry about food or clothing.

For white ones, if their heads were black, then the owners would become rich; black tails of white dogs would predict that the owners could ride in chariots for generations.

A black dog with white ears would help its owner to become an important official. If its front legs were white, the owner would have many children.

Above all, they were indispensable in the lives of the people, so much so that they were buried along with their owners in tombs of the royals of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). And on the sides of the tombs they were depicted as hunting, shepherding sheep or parading with the owners' entourage.

Pets in various forms

From the 7th century on dogs were found depicted as pets on unearthed relics, appearing to play a role in the emotional world of their owners.

Many other minorities, such as the Manchurians, also regard the dog highly.

In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the imperial court enforced strict codes on rearing dogs as pets. The most valuable breeds were reserved only for the royals.

Italian painter Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766, Chinese name Lang Shining), who served emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, was said to have drawn 10 dogs in a colour painting that integrated both Western and Chinese painting skills.

However, a scroll painting from the same period, kept at the Palace Museum, vividly features nine pet dogs and was jointly painted by Huang Jiming and Li Tingliang. The dog at the centre of the piece has two tiny horns on its head but whether this was to honour this charming royal pet, or ridicule it is hotly debated till today.