Tang and Song Dynasty Harem Pets – Shiba Inus of Today
The Tibetan Mastiff excavated from Luoyang: Long-haired and short-bodied, resembling a stool, strikingly similar to the '' dog.
The royal pets of the Southern Song Dynasty's harem were originally '' – now the Shiba Inu.
Liu Yiqing
After dinner, taking a stroll in the street, I saw a young woman with a mask walking a dog – a pure white , and suddenly remembered the Tang Dynasty and dogs like this.
I accidentally came across an article by Professor Cai Hongsheng titled 'Dog Breed Origin of Shiba Inu,' revealing that Shiba Inu dogs actually existed in history and were kept as pets by the emperor.
'' was the name for Shiba Inu dogs in the Tang Dynasty; Chen Yinke annotated '' in 1954, referring to '' in his ''.
'' features Kang Youwei's '', which was a tribute from the Western Regions to the Tang Dynasty emperor. After generations of breeding and evolution, it became a privileged pet.
'' came from where? Along the Silk Road into Chang'an. Its hometown was in the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, and during the Tang Dynasty, it was called the Great Qin or the Dali.
According to historical records, the empress Yang Guifei's '', although belonging to the same breed as those from the Middle East, came as tribute from the city-states of Samarkand.
One can imagine, Kang Youwei's '' was a rare and precious tribute, a 'living treasure' for the imperial court. One day, the Tang Emperor and his Prince played chess, and they needed a background story to entertain the court musician's pipa solo. The concubines stood beside them watching the chess game. The concubine saw that the Tang Emperor was about to lose the game, so she took the Kang Youwei '' from her arms and let it run onto the chessboard, disrupting the game. The Tang Emperor, who was about to lose, was overjoyed.
Tang Dynasty painters' depictions of dogs.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, '' remained a pet in the imperial court. The '' written by Song Taizu's candidate, Song Bai, described its appearance and demeanor as very vivid: 'White '' walks on the ground, sleeps in a red carpet without being disturbed.' The emperor's favorite pet naturally attracted poets to sing praises for it. If you think it's too embarrassing to write poems to praise the emperor, then 'giving poems to the emperor's '' is twice as embarrassing. Wang Ai wrote poems praising the royal pet, which was a pioneering work. He, his great achievements, his policies, his women, his pets. Compared to Tang Dynasty poet Du Shi's bizarre act of handing a urine-pot to his superior, giving poems to the emperor's '' doesn't seem quite as repulsive.
Similarly, some famous poets wrote about '' in their poems, but sometimes those famous poets were not as good as a small woman. The Sichuan celebrity, Xiao Tao, wrote a poem titled '' and placed it on the ''
Taming Zhu's courtyard for four or five years, the fragrance of its fur is enough to make the owner cherish it, and it is also a ''.
It randomly bites at relatives and guests, unable to sleep on a red silk carpet. This conveys the message that '' was popular in the aristocratic circles, and after being introduced to Chang'an from the south-western region, it was also spread to Sichuan.
Tang Dynasty poets naturally wrote about dogs in their poems. Liu Changqing's '' reads: 'Hearing dog barking at the village gate, returning home in the snowy night.' Li Bai's '' reads: 'Dogs bark in the sound of water, and the rain is dense when returning from the peach blossom mountain.' Wei Bing's '' reads: 'Dogs greet you at the fence, and the door is closed when you go out.' Du Fu's '' reads: 'The old dog is happy to see me return, it lowers its head and rests its head on my clothes.' These dogs were used as watchdogs and guard dogs in the court, unlike the palace dogs ''.
The dogs depicted by imperial court painters.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, '' remained a pet in the imperial court. Song Taizu's candidate, Song Bai, wrote '' describing its appearance and demeanor as very vivid: 'In the spring evening, the palace maid wears spring satin, the bell is ringing without wind, it automatically sways. During the day, the pearl curtains are closed, and the '' sleeps on the banana tree. The lazy and luxurious atmosphere of '' always complemented the palace maids and concubines. This poem is quite relaxed and reflects the prosperity and peace of the Song Dynasty.
According to historical records, Song Taizu was a '' enthusiast. He kept a Shiba Inu dog as a companion, and after his death, the dog guarded his tomb. This honor was enough to make many concubines envious. The Shiba Inu dog that Song Taizu kept was named '', and it enjoyed the treatment of '.' This dog was docile and clever, and it 'knew the emperor's intentions by just looking at him. When the emperor wanted to open the pearl curtains, it was already ready to welcome him. These emperor's Shiba Inu dogs relied on imperial power to enjoy a prosperous and wealthy life, and those who relied on imperial power, such as the literary and artistic figures, sometimes had a worse fate than the wagging tail, pleading Shiba Inu dog.
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