During prehistoric times, the leopard cat lived alongside humans, but domestication did not happen until the Silk Road brought the African wildcat to China in the Tang dynasty (618-907). Even as emperors fell and the country went through massive changes, these felines have remained an important part of Chinese society – a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) emperor even created a royal cat house.
Check out our infographic to dive deeper into the history of cats in China.
