Training police dogs, The Young Companion (Liangyou) magazine, Nov. 1935

Tags

chinese dogs, 狼犬, german shepherds, GSD, kunming dogs, liangyou, malinois, police dogs, training, young companion

From a spread entitled “Training Police Dogs” 警犬之訓練 in the November, 1935 issue of The Young Companion [Liangyou 良友], a Shanghai-based illustrated monthly magazine. Photographs by WEI Shouzhong 魏守忠.

Apologies for the fuzzy picture quality (click to enlarge). The dogs in this article appear to be primarily Shepherd dogs (Malinois, GSD, etc.) that are generically translated as “wolf dogs” (狼犬) whether or not they have actual wolf ancestry. Not all the text is clearly visible either. I’ve transcribed what I could below. There was one significant portion that was not translated into English, so my rough translation is included in italics.

Overcoming Obstacles
警越礙練 － 為本時攝犬障物習此跳牆所。

本誌北平特約記者魏守忠君於寄此項照片時，附兩中有云：‘此犬為蔣斌先生私人畜養，得蔣先生之許可，並由王教練員指導各犬表演拍攝。警犬之訓練，完全為訓練者與犬發生精神上之聯合，用威情訓練。犬之一切動作，皆忠心於主人，不顧一切，達到其命令而後已。警犬與傳藝犬不同者，傳藝犬訓練法，只有二種：既責打與食物之引誘。一切動作非犬忠心主人，乃貪食物或怕責打而行之。此法於警犬則不能用。警犬之賞罰，完全靠精神之表現，否則負命外出，中途因食物或駭打而停止工作，則無用奕。

When this magazine commissioned these pictures from the reporter, Mr. Wei Shouzhong in Beiping (Beijing), attached to two were these notes: “These dogs are being raised privately by Mr. Jiang Bin. The dogs’ performances were photographed with his permission, and under guidance of trainer Wang. The training of police dogs depends entirely on the synergistic energy of the trainer and his dog, using a combination of authority and affection. The dog’s every action comes from his devotion to his master, with no concern for anything else. Achieving the command comes first; all the rest follows. The difference between police dogs and traditional dogs is that there are only two ways to train traditional dogs: with punishment by beating and with the lure of food. None of their actions come from their devotion to their master, but rather from their desire for food or their fear of punishment. These are not methods that can be used on police dogs. The reward and punishment of police dogs is entirely dependent on spirit of behavior, or else when it comes time to put their life on the line, they may stop mid-path for want of food or fear of blows, and thus be rendered useless indeed!

‘蔣君所訓練之犬，皆西洋種，因其性情靈敏，記憶力強，身體健康。我國之犬，因種之關係，血統邁近，所產之犬XX呆本，不宜警犬。除非國內之犬種加以整理，有系統之配合，幾十餘年之後，則犬種漸佳，或可選用。西洋不但對犬之血統有精神密之配合，其他如牛羊馬等等亦然，我國一切仰給外洋，不加努力，如一雞一犬，亦以外洋為佳，X可恥也。

警犬對於警務有極大之助力，因其嗅覺靈敏，可助人不能之事。吾等常於電影中略見一班。。。。。。

“The dogs trained by Mr. Jiang are all Western breeds, because they are quick and intelligent in spirit, strong of memory, and hale of body. As for dogs of our country [China], because of [canine] race relations, and the closeness of bloodlines, the dogs bred are dull and stupid, and thus not appropriate to become police dogs. Unless we organize the breeds in our country, employ a systematic method of breeding, after ten or so years, it would follow that breeds would gradually improve, and could be used selectively. The West not only attends to the pairing of canine bloodlines with precision, [livestock animal husbandry] of cows, sheep, horses, etc. is also like this. We rely on foreign countries for everything. If we don’t increase our efforts, foreigners will have the advantage even when it comes to a single chicken or dog — a disgrace indeed.

Police dogs provide a tremendous assistance to police work because their exceptional sense of smell can accomplish what humans cannot. We often get a glimpse of this in the movies…

To find the smell of a stolen object
尋犯所匿物，犬聞者氣，尋其藏件。覓者藏之件使嗅犯之味再覓所物。

Running
警犬之奔馳練習。

Crawling
使伏爬練，便尋人時為手見犬地行習以於緝犯不敵所。

Keen watch over his master’s possessions
警防物之練主指地犬伏件，為守犬守件訓，人定點即物前嚴看。

To rescue a bonded person
警犬之救人訓練解縳時之攝影。

Jumping over fences
警犬上梯之訓練。

Climbing ladders
警犬跳越低欄之訓練。

Daily outdoor exercises
警犬每日照例午操，以鍛鍊其體魄

PRINT: Chinese sport hunters, 1935

Tags

gun dogs, liangyou, pointers, setters, sports hunters, young companion

Here’s another scan from the Young Companion (Liangyou 良友) illustrated magazine, issue no. 102 (1935), pages 22-23. A few Chinese hunters are profiled, mostly Mr. Hsu Tsiu-min [Xu Junmin 徐俊民]. A certain Mr. Li Zizhong [李自重], Mr. Huang Qiang [黃強], and Mr. Xie Wei [謝偉] are also briefly mentioned. These hunters are noteworthy because they’re conspicuously engaged in Western style sport hunting, complete with guns, dogs, and local laborers to help haul their catch. Though they are not the first hunters to be featured in The Young Companion, this two-paged spread is pretty significant in comparison to previous, brief mentions of “celebrity cosmopolitans.”

The following is a transcription of the bilingual article, “Carry on, hunters!” Unfortunately, this scan of a reproduction edition isn’t as clean as I’d like, so I was unable to transcribe everything. I’ll fill in what I can next time I return to the library.

I’m not very confident on the breed IDs here, so I welcome your guesses. They look mostly like setters to me. Obviously, they are not Chinese dogs. But in this context, the foreign provenance of these gun dogs is more about fashion, the hunter’s constructed self-image, and a symbolic display of his cultural capital. It wouldn’t matter if a native dog could do the hunting he wanted; none of these men would have wanted it, even if they could believe it.

重二百十七餘磅之山豬，其牙如叉，身長七尺，圓經三尺，性極兇狠，獵者如不一擊既斃之，為其所衝面而來，反被所害。旁立者為獵者李自重氏。
[This section was not translated into English: “This boar weighs over 217 pounds, teeth like prongs, body seven feet long, girth three feet, extremely fierce. If the hunters had not immediately gunned him down, they would have been charged and hurt instead. At the side stands the hunter Mr. Li Zizhong.]

徐氏及其獵犬在中途小憩。
Mr. Hsu and his dogs having a few minutes’ rest during the hunting expedition.

照獵者言，獵時如得三五友同往，偶有獸物在前，圍面攻之，其效靈驗，此圖為李自重氏與黃強，謝偉氏等行獵時合力追擊而此兇猛之山豬後所攝。
The result of a well devised strategem.
[Chinese text goes into detail about how the group all surrounded and charged the wild boar.]

？母犬為徐氏所畜？，？產十二子，圖為？犬子爭食母奶之情形。
The mother hound and its dozen puppies.

山雞產於江浙？甚多，每屆？？，農氏捕之售於市，可得善價，圖為徐俊民所獵得之山雞。
Pheasants, another part of Mr. Hsu’s trophy.
[Chinese text explains that these are plentiful game that the locals also catch to sell for good prices at the market.]

江浙產？鹿甚多，但性？狡猾，不易獲得，此為徐氏一天所得之成績。
Good enough for a day’s toil. Mr. Hsu and his well earned trophy, four Chekiang deer which he shot in a day.
[Chinese text emphasizes that though this deer is particularly abundant, they are very “crafty” and so not easy to catch — thereby reassuring readers of the hunter’s skill. I need to check the original to see what kind of deer this was, as the character here is unclear.]

徐氏所養之獵犬之一之頭部姿勢，聞此犬之外祖為某美國犬，價值美金一萬元。
The hound of great speed and endurance, an indispensible servant of the [illegible].
[Of course, I’m interested in what kind of dog this was and where he came from. The Chinese text says the dog comes from American pedigrees, valued at $10,000 American dollars.]

獵者之收穫，每出意外，此為極難得之金錢豹。
A pair of young leopards, a very rare game in Chekiang.

打獵時飛禽走獸各有個？之獵槍，此為各種獵槍之展覽。
Sporting guns with different calibres and barrels for different kinds of games.

為使利攜帶起見， 獵槍？隨時分部折開於皮箱內。
The case when containing the different parts of the sporting gun which can easily be put together.

有名於打獵界之徐俊民氏對於獵狩，有多年之經驗，每於公餘之暇，攜其自家之外國獵犬至各山野行獵，其於鎗法，尤為精到，嘗執上海射鎗會最高［靶］綠，圖為其瞰槍時之正面姿勢。
Mr. Hsu Tsiu-min, noted amateur hunter posing to show the correct way to hold the gun while taking aims.
[Chinese text elaborates a little more on what makes Mr. Hsu so noteworthy — his years of experience, devoting every holiday to a hunting expedition, breeding his own dogs, his markmanship, his masterful poise, which is amply highlighted by this photo spread.]

未舉槍瞄？時？槍應有之姿勢。
Hold the gun this way while you are proceeding in search of games.

舉槍待發之側面姿勢。
Ready to fire.
[Emphasis on the gun as intricate machinery, a very precise technological apparatus that takes more than mere access (i.e., purchase) to operate — one must be trained and disciplined to wield it, as this article elaborates by showing all the different parts and body positions.]

Global community of running dogs (Photo spread, 1933)

Tags

alsatians, borzoi, chow chows, dachshunds, english bulldogs, german shepherds, great pyrenees, greyhounds, japanese chin, liangyou, old english sheepdog, pekingese, pugs, samoyed, scottish terrier, shanghai, sino-japanese war, skye terrier, young companion

Here is a neat pull-out spread of the global “Community of Dogs 走狗展覽” that appeared in the Shanghai-based pictorial magazine, The Young Companion (Liangyou 良友), no. 78 (1933), pp. 25-6. Pardon the seam; the reprint volumes are too large to fit on the scanner at once. Vintage photos are always nice, but the setup and captions here are what make this article for me, particularly in the occasional differences between the Chinese and the English.

I should start by mentioning that the title translates more literally as “Exhibition of Running Dogs.” The term zǒu gǒu 走狗 is usually highly pejorative, meaning a lackey or a stooge. In modern context, it’s a politically loaded term to label someone who toadies to foreign interests. In semicolonial Shanghai, where public expression was policed under the official KMT policy of appeasement (especially the Japanese, who had the military wherewithal to bomb the hell out of the port city as indeed they had, barely a year prior), the term could be loosely slung at anyone who indulged in the cosmopolitan allures of the city without minding the dire national situation.

This context might affect how you view this article, and what kind of details ruffle the surface.

Liangyou Dogs of the World, page 1

Original text transcribed below in bold, a few revealing discrepancies retranslated in italics, and commentary in normal font.

The English [sheep]dog, white and tousled.
英國棉犬, 毛白而茸亂。

The Greyhound noted for its smooth elegance.
爾雅溫文，為靈［犬＋是］之特性.
The obscure old character for this type of dog doesn’t even show up in any of my dictionaries??

Long-haired dachshunds are the elegant cavaliers among dogs.
長毛潤澤，犬羣中之騎士。

Head of a young Chow Chow.
小犬餓矣！ The puppy is hungry!

The Borzoi with its aristocratic charm.
波爾塞犬之高貴丰［豐］度。

A little symphony in white.
白色交響曲。
Can anyone tell what kind of dog this is? A Pyrenees or Samoyed pup?

The hairy and lively Skye Terrier.
獵犬之一種，遍體長毛。
The Chinese points out the hair all over the dog’s body and says nothing of its liveliness.

Liangyou Dogs of the World, page 2

Three Duchshunds [sic] are listening to something.
問汝何所聽？ 身長足短之獵犬。
Three more long-bodied, short-legged “hunting dogs.” The term for hounds or any terrier is an XX liè quán 獵犬, or literally “hunting dog,” of which there were several different types native to China — most of them not shaped like these guys.

Gazing in a sad amazement at a world in which so much is forbidden.
兩狆犬之愁苦眼光，瞻望這不自由的世界。 The sad and melancholic expressions of two Zhongquan, gazing at this unfree world.
These dogs which are basically what we’d call pugs are named in Chinese as zhòng quán 狆犬. Apparently, usage of this term changes over time, so any Pekingese type which was called a zhong dog back then is now strictly known as a Japanese Chin, whereas the international “Pekingese” has been reinserted into the standard lexicon as the Beijing dog (北京狗). I need to confirm this with further research.

At any rate, it’s not clear to me which “community” these zhong dogs are supposed to represent, especially when coupled with that cryptic caption — just what is forbidden to whom? Or more literally, what keeps them from being truly “free”?

Ready, aye, ready! The Alsatian.
準備！喂，準備！阿沙丹犬。
Get ready for… what?

Young but with serious eyes.
小犬目光，威氣逼人。
Again, why the focus on the youth and the silent gaze of the Chinese-typed dog?

The aristocratic Pekingese dog from the Chinese palaces.
前中國皇宮豢養之北京犬，貴族優美。
See my note above about the zhongquan. I do find this nice-looking Peke to be very unlike the mop that dusted off the Crufts Best in Show trophy in 2003.

The English Bulldog, the national symbol, is all concentrated, massive, steady power.
英叭喇狗，果敢，堅毅，活畫出英國之民族性。

The hairy Bobtail.
長毛截尾犬。
The Old English Sheepdog.

The Scotch Terrier is a jolly fellow.
蘇格蘭獵犬，蠢蠢欲勭。 The Scottish Terrier, wriggling and feisty.

Another hairy Skye Terrier.
鬚髮不修，居服歟？抑名士歟？

This final caption sticks out to me the most.

Two Japanese Chins.
兩日本小犬，瞧牠的小器的陰險的神氣！ (Chinese text found on first page)
Two little Japanese dogs. Check out their mean, treacherous demeanor!

It seems obvious from the selectively truncated English translation that someone didn’t feel like going where the Chinese caption went. However, what is also notable to me is this: outside of Japan, nobody else saw the Nihon ken as distinctively Japanese dogs — yet. What gets codified here as a “Japanese” dog is the toy of dubiously foreign origin, whose fragile, bug-eyed, brachycephalic visage is almost the complete opposite of what would later become enshrined as the native, more lupine “ideal.”

In fact, the concept of canine primitiveness doesn’t even seem to factor into the construction of this layout at all. It’s less important that the Chow Chow looks the most wolf-life of any of these featured breeds than it is that the Chow is described as a hungry puppy. The most wild-looking creature is meant to evoke instant pity, even as it seems incredibly out of place with the rest of the gallery. Contrast this to the Chin pups, who are labeled as inherently suspicious (and also opposed to the “young but serious” Peke puppy), and the editors’ agenda is as exposed as Chiang Kai-shek’s forehead.

Sometimes mere frivolity is the only way to let off steam.

Love me, love my dog

Tags

chinese dogs, chinese film, 良友, 黎明暉, li minghui, liang you, olive young, shanghai, shih tzu, young companion, 楊愛立

Here’s a page from the most popular Shanghai-based bilingual illustrated magazine, The Young Companion (Liang You 良友).

1926, no. 7, p. 15

Title: “Love me, love my dog” 願愛我并愛吾狗

I can identify the Chinese film stars, but not the dogs. Obviously, it was more important to be able to recognize the woman’s face, not the dog. Can you identify the breeds, if they’re even purebred at all? [Click here for a blow-up of the photo spread]

Pictured from the top left, going counter-clockwise:

• Huang Yueru 黃月如, with Shih Tzu?
• Li Minghui 黎明暉, famous daughter of Li Jinhui 黎錦暉 and singer of “Drizzles 毛毛雨” characterized as China’s first “modern pop song” — with a Chow? and a Beagle??
• Xia Peizhen 夏佩珍, who played in the commercially popular serial queen/martial arts films Burning of the Red Lotus Temple 火燒紅蓮寺 — with terriers?
• Zhou Wenzhu 周文珠, who played supporting roles in significant films — with small dogs with terrier faces and curly tails?
• Qiqi Di 綺綺翟, whom I know nothing about other than she has a funny name and appears to be holding Shih Tzu
• Group shot (L-R): Yang Aili, Zhou Wenzhu, Huang Yueru, Qiqi Di, Xia Peizhen, Li Minghui
• Yang Aili 楊愛立 (center), aka Olive Young, an American-born Chinese actress who didn’t stick around in Shanghai very long before returning to the US for a brief stint in Hollywood — pictured with puppies that look much too young to be posing under studio lights

With the possible exception of Li Minghui’s dogs (which seem rather out of place compared to all the others in terms of size and form), these all seem like they might be native Chinese dogs. What strikes me about this photo shoot is its deliberate staging to mimic Hollywood-produced images of film stars and pets, yet it has its own distinctively “Chinese” twist right down to the selection of dogs.

However, I would be surprised if any of these dogs actually belonged to the starlets, despite what is implied in the title. Wish we could ask photographer Ariel L. Varges, who supplied these photos as the “Foreign Correspondent of the International Newsreel Corporation of New York”. Did he take these photos on behalf of The Young Companion, or on behalf of the news corporation in his home country? What image of modernity was he trying to convey with this series of portraits? Why these stars, and these dogs? Did Varges consider the assignment frivolous, something merely to pay the bills between stops to more politically pressing points on the Asian map? Or was he, like the editors of The Young Companion, just as serious and self-conscious in every picture he produced, even in that which might be (dis)regarded as “trivial”? After all, pictures of dogs and animals abound in The Young Companion (and I hope to present some more over time), but old pictures of Chinese people with dogs are surprisingly scarce.