In traditional Chinese culture, the wolf has always been the embodiment of ruthlessness and cunning and a natural enemy of mankind. A very familiar Chinese fable is, “Mr. Tung-kuo and the wolf”. It’s a story about a scholar who rescued a wolf that was being chased by soldiers, only to find himself at risk of being eaten by the wolf.

The fable is a warning to humans that they should never show the slightest compassion towards their fiendish enemy. There is another folk tale about a wolf and a small white rabbit. This story praises the clever little rabbit for not being taken in the words of flattery from the gig gray wolf. The rabbit keeps the door of his house tightly shut and won’t let the wolf in. This is a tale used by adults to help keep children on their guard.

However, in the 1980s, the long held impression of the Chinese people had of wolves changed completely. In the early years of China’s reform; western business, investors, products and culture went rushing into China. Chinese companies were being pressured into a tougher environment by Western companies and they cried out, “The Wolves have come!” After the reform process matured, Chinese companies found they could peacefully coexist with foreign companies to each other’s mutual benefit. The expression from those Chinese companies gradually changed to, “we can dance with the wolves.” As the Chinese businesses expanded and began to successfully compete against the foreign companies, they declared, “We will soon become the wolves ourselves.”