The breed was registered as the Chinese Fighting Dog in 1971.
The Shar-Pei is a compact, stocky dog of a square format. Males are taller and more muscular, height is about 50 cm at the withers and weight is 23-25 kg, and females are on average 45 cm and 20-22 kg.
The coat consists only of guard hairs, there is no soft undercoat. Short and extremely coarse, stubble to the touch.