Around 400 Tibetan mastiffs gathered in Shijiazhuang, capital of northern Hebei Province, for the 2010 North China Tibetan Mastiff Expo, on February 28.

Three Tibetan Mastiff puppies pose during the 7th International Farm Produce Fair of China in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province. The fair kicked off on Monday. (Xinhua Photo)

Four to five thousand people were attracted by the visual banquet of mastiff on the first day of the expo.

As of Mar. 1st, around one hundred Tibetan mastiff puppies priced from three to ten thousand yuan found their new owners at the expo, according to the sponsor.

Du Liqiang, manager of Shijiazhuang Huicheng Expo Company Ltd., said the Tibetan mastiffs on show were mainly from Hebei, Hunan, Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Helongjiang, Jilin, Qinghai and other provinces in northern China.

He said elder mastiffs were here for exhibiting or mating and only puppies were sold. The price varies very much with the breeds and lineages.

A mastiff puppy from Beijing Red Sun Mastiff Breeding Base was quite an eye-catcher for it was priced at one million yuan. A worker of the company said the puppy had a very pure bloodline and won many awards before.

Some buyers said they bought mastiffs to guard home or factory while some deemed mastiff as a symbol of status.

All mastiffs on show have a certification of health.

The Tibetan mastiff, one of Central Asia's mastiffs, is an ancient and primitive breed -- the fossil record goes back 8 to 10 million years. In China it's sometimes called "No. 1 Dog" and "miraculous beast."

Source:China Tibet Information Center