The Chinese Shar Pei, an ancient and unique breed, is thought to have originated in the area around the small village of Tai Li in Kwangtung Province, and has existed for centuries in the southern provinces of China, apparently since the Han Dynasty (c. 200 B.C.). More recently, a Chinese manuscript of the 13th century has been translated; it refers to a wrinkled dog with characteristics much like those of the Shar-Pei.

The name "Shar-Pei" itself literally means "sand-skin", but translated more loosely as "rough, sandy coat" or "sand-paper-like coat" and refers to the two distinctive qualities of the Shar-Pei coat - roughness and shortness - which make the breed unique in the dog world. The Shar-Pei shares another distinctive characteristic with only one other breed, the Chow-Chow, in having a blue-black tongue, which may indicate an ancestor common to both breeds. However, proof of such a relationship is difficult to establish.