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You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing.
"If mastiffs are guns, then a Tibetan mastiff will be a gun that could be easily discharged accidentally." That's according to Yang Yibo, who runs an online forum for fans of the dog in China.
The remarks were made two years ago to describe the unpredictable and aggressive nature of the breed, but now they also sound appropriate for the country's Tibetan mastiff market.
According to the Tibetan Mastiff Association, there were 95 Tibetan mastiff farms in Tibet with almost 10,000 dogs sold annually before 2012. Now only 66 farms survive, with 3,000 of the exotic breed sold last year.
Earlier this year, animal rights activists in Beijing were reported to have saved 21 Tibetan mastiffs and 150 other dogs from a truck heading to a slaughterhouse where the animals would have been sold for 5 dollars per head.
The shaggy, lion-like mastiffs are native to Tibet and the neighboring Qinghai province. They were traditionally used as shepherds and watchdogs by herders and known for a loyal but fierce disposition.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
LeVision Pictures, an affiliate of the Chinese streaming company LeTV, has announced that it will work with film director Tsui Hark on innovative filmmaking.
According to LeVision, the Silicon Valley based-media tech lab will help incorporate more pervasive media into China's movies.
Tsui Hark's "The Taking of Tiger Mountain" earned more than 880 million yuan, roughly 140 million U.S. dollars. The director said more should be done in China to advance film making, especially considering its large population. He said it was likely he would use smartphones to shoot movies in the future.
LeVision has already hired renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou, who was behind the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the upcoming film "Great Wall".
The company said the participation of the two directors is expected to result in more movies for LeTV, which also unveiled three smartphones recently.
