Born in 1933 in Hong Kong. His family clan originally from Sanshui ¡]¤T¤ô¡^, Guangdong, China. Grew up in Hong Kong and escaped to Macau with his family between 1942 to 1946 to avoid Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during the Second World War. Later finished university in the United State in 1956 and returned to Hong Kong.

Wai Kee Shun met his first Shar-Pei while he was evacuated in Macau in 1943 and fell in love with the breed ever since. This first Shar-Pei he saw back then, although he was still a child, he said he still remember vividly it was a black, small ear, coin tail, "pointed muzzle" Shar-Pei which later was sold at 600 silver coins. A fortune at that time.


He began to show his first Shar-Pei "Eagle Wing" in 1958 in Hong Kong Kennel Club (HKKC) and it was at then still classified in the AOV group. From 1959, "Eagle Wing" won the best of AOV Group for five consecutive years. (Photo on the left shows Wai Kee Shun with his "Eagle Wing" and the winning trophies. Chinese characters on top of the photograph says "if you want a dog, keep a Shar-Pei").

Starting of Hong Kong and Kowloon Kennel Association (HKKKA)

As Hong Kong continue to grow economically, more and more people own pets and HKKC (Hong Kong Kennel Club) alone was not able to satisfy the need of the people and the industry. In 1971, Wai Kee Shun led a group of dog people and separately formed the Hong Kong and Kowloon Kennel Associations (HKKKA). Many Shar-Peis were shipped to the U.S. after this year and subsequently registered in the Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America (CSPCA) with pedigree papers issued by the HKKKA.

Therefore, after 1971, we have had two organizations in Hong Kong, the HKKC and HKKKA, which issued pedigree papers for Shar-Pei, and papers from both clubs were accepted by the CSPCA. This created a situation where Shar-Pei with a wide variation in phenotype were shipped to the U.S. and caused much confusion in the market. Subsequently, HKKC received so much complaints about breeders of Shar-Pei that in 1975 HKKC decided to stop entirely issuing any pedigree and excluded this breed from their dog shows until and unless they are satisfy with a correct type. (HKKC letter courtesy of Betty Colgate, U.S.)

Many of the meat-mouth Shar-Pei shipped to CSPCA in the 1970's were with HKKKA pedigree papers signed by Wai Kee Shun. Therefore, although his bone-mouth "Eagle Wing" was legendary in the 1950's and 60's, but at the same time, he facilitated the development of meat-mouth in Hong Kong. Wai Kee Shun came from a very well to do family with very traditional and socially influential background, so he was never in need to breed Shar-Pei for a living. But the 1970's and 1980's were high time for Shar-Pei in the U.S. and many people in Hong Kong speculated on this opportunity. In March 2006 at a dinner occasion, he specifically express regret for the outcome of meat-mouth and if any, he is responsible for this outcome.

Hong Kong Shar-Pei Association

Over the years, traditional Shar-Pei has always been Wai Kee Shun most favorite breed, and when he saw the Shar-Pei developing into a different type he originally anticipated, he attempted to correct this trend by starting the Hong Kong Shar-Pei Association in 1984. He proposed a standard for Traditional Chinese Shar-Pei on the 15th November, 1984. However, due to the popularity of meat-mouth Shar-Pei in the U.S. at that time, his effort was not welcomed in the meat-mouth Shar-Pei community in Hong Kong. To a certain extend, his voice was ignored by the meat-mouth breeders. One has only to read the Prelude of this standard to see the reason:

Prelude: In the early 60s there evolved a breed of Chinese Shar-Pei, i.e. the Meat-Mouth Shar-Pei. During the 70s, this breed was exported in large numbers to various parts of the world and has been accepted as one of the rare breeds of dog. However, recently some enthusiasts in Hong Kong were alarmed by the fact that this breed had drifted so far away from the ideal of the traditional type, the old breed of Shar-Pei. They were convinced that in order to standardize the Chinese Shar-Pei and to keep the old breed pure, they must draft a Standard of the Traditional Chinese Shar-Pei according to the way it was in the old-times to distinguish it from the Meat-Mouth-Breed. For those who are purists at heart, they may now have a more definite goal to attain. And for those who fancy the Meat-Mouth-Breed, they still can carry on with their own breeding program. It was, therefore, earnestly suggested that, in the future, there should be two types of Chinese Shar-Pei, namely the Traditional and the Meat-Mouth-Breed, and that the two shall be judged separately, each with its own standard.

When the meat-mouth Shar-Pei were doing so well in those days, certainly nobody thinks it was necessary to set another standard. Note the date of this "Prelude", 15th November, 1984. Wai Kee Shun was one of the founder of HKKKA and even today, he is an Honorary President of the association but his point of view on Shar-Pei in those days was not popular and thus not given the due attention. Only much later in 1989 was a Traditional Shar-Pei Standard drawn up separately and independently by HKKC and "allowed Shar-Pei to be shown in the HKKC dog shows again" . When CSPCA was registering HKKKA pedigree Shar-Pei in the 1980's, was it aware of the 1984 standard?


The following is an excerpt from the standard drafted by Wai Kee Shun for his Hong Kong Shar-Pei Association:

Breed-Standard of Traditional Chinese Shar-Pei (excerpt)

COAT: The hair must be short and very hard..... The harder the hair the more desirable the coat.

HEAD: A bigger head is preferred over a smaller one.

MUZZLE: Muzzle should be blunt and broad with the corners of the mouth going back very deep. Muzzle resembling the shape of a drain-pipe or that of a frog are preferred.

TAIL: The tail must be set very high ..... carried tight over the back. The closer and tighter the tail is carried to the back the better.

SIZE: Males 20-23 inches, ..... bitches 19-21 inches at the withers.


Summary of events as follows:

1971 Formation of HKKKA

1975 HKKC decided to stop registration and show of Shar-Pei until further notice

1984 Proposed Traditional Chinese Shar-Pei Standard of Hong Kong Shar-Pei Association

1989 HKKC proposed a traditional Shar-Pei standard

1991 AKC proposed its first standard

2005 Wai Kee Shun became the Honorary President of the Zhongguoquan Baocunhui in December.


(Above) An old photo taken in the 1950's of Eagle Wing (the puppy on the right) together with his father "Iron Monkey".

(Above) The head of "Iron Monkey" was used as the center logo for Zhongguoquan Baocunhui. This photo was selected because it is a good representation of a traditional bone-mouth Shar-Pei. 


This is a book published by Wai Kee Shun in 2005 titled "My Land, My Feeling". Over the years, Wai Kee Shun wrote commentaries for a local newspaper "Shing Pao Daily". Subjects covered everyday life and news in Hong Kong. This book is a compilation of all his articles on Hong Kong. On page 135, 137, he wrote about his Shar-Pei "Eagle Wing". 

Wai Kee Shun was protege of Chung Ching Ming and helped in breeding of Shar-Pei. Description of this photo published in a magazine says "Chung Ching Ming and his favorite dog Lisa, grand mother of all the big meat-mouth Shar-Pei". 

Although this is a monochrome photo, Lisa is clearly a "Tang dog" ; pricked ear, bushy tail, and long brush coat. Not difficult to imagine why many Western Shar-Pei is retrogressing to this type of Tang dog on the coat and the tail.

A traditional bone-mouth Shar-Pei owned by Lam Cheong in the 1970's. Chung Ching Ming, Lam Cheong, Matgo Law were approximately of the same period, the late 1970's and 1980's, the prime time of meat-mouth breeding activity.