Macau multimillionaire Wang Qiliu has a new status symbol to appreciate as he sips cognac with his friends at his Foshan home - three Tibetan mastiff puppies that together cost about 1 million yuan.
Mr Wang bought the first one three months ago from a Guangzhou pet shop for 200,000 yuan and was so enamoured, he headed to Lhasa , Tibet , a month later to buy two more - one black and one white.
'They are extremely excellent dogs,' he says. 'The Tibetan mastiff is known as the lion of dogs. They are the most loyal and fearless dogs to their owners, and will fight for the owners' safety with their blood and lives. That's the kind of character I rarely find today.'
Mr Wang is one of an increasing number of wealthy people attracted to the Tibetan mastiff's unique features and appearance, and the dog's rising popularity as a status symbol is helping to fuel a boom in commercial breeding. Details about the Tibetan mastiff market are patchy, but mainland media estimate more than 40,000 were sold as pets across the country last year, earning breeders more than 1.3 billion yuan. Mastiffs that boast an authentic pedigree can change hands for several million yuan, up from less than 10,000 yuan just six years ago.
At the Second China Tibetan Mastiff Exhibition in Qingdao , Shandong province , in March, the best of breed was an 11-month-old black puppy that the judging panel valued at 30 million yuan.
You Wenfa , deputy secretary of the China National Tibetan Mastiff Club, says the dog's unique qualities have seen the large and powerful breed become especially popular among the rich.