The Tibetan Mastiff is a plateau dog breed that evolved from the giant ancient Himalayan dog more than 10 million years ago. It is the only ancient living fossil in the canine world that has not been changed by time and environment. It was once a wild beast that roamed the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It was not until more than 6,000 years ago that it was domesticated and began a life of dependence on humans.

In Yang Zhijun’s writings, the Mastiff King Tiger-headed Snow Mastiff, Gangrisenge, the black lion-headed female Mastiff Nari and its sister Guori, the former blood-drinking king Xiang Rakshasa and later Come on, Duoji, etc. In the process of conquering and being conquered, in the confidence and heroism and majestic murderousness, in the uninhibitedness and loyalty to the rules, he uses the majestic sword teeth and the desperate attack to complete his mission.

My father’s thinking is that of the prairie people. In the eyes of grassland herdsmen, wolves are despicable and shameless thieves, bullying the weak, ungrateful, and benefiting themselves at the expense of others. Tibetan Mastiffs, on the other hand, are loyal to their masters, act bravely when they see justice, and are brave and fearless. The wolf fights for himself all his life, and the Tibetan mastiff fights for others all his life. The wolf regards food as its heaven, and it fights just to survive; the Tibetan mastiff regards Tao as its heaven, and they fight for loyalty, morality, and duty. Wolves and Tibetan mastiffs are not the same thing. Therefore, whenever my father commented on those who liked to tease others, those who deprived others of their right to live, those who fought in dens, and those who were insidious and cunning, he always said: "That is a wolf." In a book called "Citizens' Moral Principles" In the booklet, he solemnly noted a few words: Tibetan Mastiff standards.

A seven-year-old child briefly raised a Tibetan mastiff at home because of his father. Fourteen years later, when he went deep into the grassland to interview as a reporter, this huge grown-up black Tibetan mastiff recognized him in an instant. Such stories are probably commonplace between Tibetans and Tibetan mastiffs, but they still linger in the memory of middle-aged writer Yang Zhijun. In 2005, he completed a novel called "Tibetan Mastiff". When it was published as the headline of the fifth issue of "Contemporary" this year, he left these words at the beginning of the postscript: "Everything comes from the memory of my father, "Also for Tibetan Mastiffs."

My father was a cadre who went deep into the grassland to aid Tibet. He worked in the grassland for 20 years, ran a school, and served as a leader. The story of him and the Tibetan Mastiff is still circulating in the grassland, but his father has passed away, and the Tibetan Mastiff on the grassland has gradually become an appreciating mobile asset in the hands of modern people. With his "Tibetan Mastiff", Yang Zhijun completed the reminiscence of the last batch of brave and resourceful Tibetan Mastiffs galloping on the grasslands, and also wrote a history of the disputes and integration of the grassland tribes in the early days of liberation. The story is set in the grasslands of Tibetan areas in the 1950s. Tribal grievances formed over generations are still there, and mysterious beliefs and worship are still at work. A group of Tibetan cadres such as "Father", Director Bai, and Political Commissar Wang are stationed on the grasslands. , they must learn to make friends with the grassland herders while reconciling tribal grudges. The "father" in the book inadvertently used a bag of paradise fruits (i.e. peanuts) to lure seven little boys and a snow mountain Tibetan mastiff from the Ama Grassland to the Xijie Ancient Grassland, triggering a deep burial. A feud between two tribes. Seven little boys became the targets of revenge for the Xijiegu grassland people, and the two sides in the fight were Tibetan mastiffs who each defended their master. Behind the Tibetan Mastiff, there are various animal characters on the grassland: Tibetan dogs, wolves, leopards... they restrict each other, forming a dangerous biological chain. The role of the Tibetan Mastiff is particularly complex: in the conflict between humans and wolves, they have to protect humans. Safety; and in conflicts between people, they have to defend their tribe; the lamas of the temples need to be particularly respected, and they also have their own mastiff kings... As the natural enemies of wolves, they disdain small calculations and tricks, but they must Possessing superhuman wisdom and strategy. And only the Tibetan Mastiff who beats all the invincible opponents in the world can become the Mastiff King of the territory. The world of Tibetan Mastiffs is written by Yang Zhijun like a martial arts arena, with competitions between heroes, battles between love rivals, and masters fighting each other again and again. The two martial arts competitions near the end of the novel are still soul-stirring: Going to Ama Grassland The Tibetan Mastiff must compete with the Mastiff King of the ancient Xijie Grassland in order to prove that he is the legendary snow mountain lion; he must defeat the blood-drinking king Party Xiang Rakshasa who was raised with hatred by the ghost sender in order to maintain the security of the territory... and It was not the power of the mastiff king that finally conquered the blood-drinking king Dang Xiang Rakshasa, but the love of the father in the book.

Human nature and mastiff nature in the novel are two inextricably intertwined lines, spreading and permeating. In my father’s words: “I was a mastiff in my previous life.” This is obviously a novel that borrows mastiff nature. A novel that appeals to humanity. The loyalty, courage, responsibility, sacrifice, rules, etc. it advocates are exactly in contrast to the wolf nature in last year's "Wolf Totem".

In the view of its editor-in-chief Zhou Changyi, this novel was born this year and has more literary significance. It may mean that in 2005, three-quarters of the time has passed, the world is no longer dominated by familiar faces such as Jia Pingwa's "Qin Opera", Alai's "Empty Mountain", Yu Hua's "Brothers", etc., but for those who are struggling in the literary world. For an author who has been writing for decades, this might be an important moment for him to turn around? "I have known Yang Zhijun for nearly 20 years. 20 years ago, I felt that he should write a good thing. Of course he wrote a lot of things, and they were all good, but he just didn't write a very good thing. I used to think that he He lacked nothing but a good story, and now he finally found a good story, and he also found a Tibetan mastiff." Zhou Changyi was particularly pleased when he mentioned this.

The 2004 "Wolf Totem" triggered the call of wolf nature. How much can this "Tibetan Mastiff" bring out thoughts about mastiff nature? In the world of the novel, can it become a wolf? Natural enemies, everything needs to be tested by the market. What’s interesting is that when “Wolf Totem” first came out, Haier and Zhang Ruimin were invited to encourage and support it. There are also strong supporters behind “Tibetan Mastiff”. Ma Junren, who has become the chairman of the Tibetan Mastiff Association, has made no secret of his admiration for Tibetan mastiffs and criticism of wolves. He said: "I am a rough guy and a layman on literature. But I know that the Tibetan Mastiff is the protector of the people. Tibetan Mastiffs have all the good things in wolves, such as bravery, tenacity and perseverance, but Tibetan Mastiffs are stronger than wolves. You can risk your life and property for the grassland herdsmen! ""The novel "Tibetan Mastiff" describes the character of the Tibetan Mastiff and the spirit of the Tibetan Mastiff, which is loyalty, bravery, tenacity and responsibility."