the dogs ' dramatic decline in fortune is being partly blamed on the chinese government 's wide-reaching anti-corruption crackdown .
previously , wealthy businessmen would give the prized mastiffs to officials in the hope of influencing their decisions .
' it is also thought recent bans on owning dogs of more than 50 kg in several chinese cities - including beijing , zhengzhou , shanghai and tianjin - has a huge impact on the breed 's popularity that