When we are young, we are often told that wolves are evil and cruel. If we weep, adults may frighten us, saying that a wolf is coming. Many editions of the well-known fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" also describe a scary wolf intending to swallow the little girl. Even after all these years, we can still think of the green, creepy eyes like a ghost in the darkness. However, that is not the whole story.
The wolf is a species that has lived long enough to be honored as one of the perfect species in evolution so far by biologists. To the public, the wolf reminds us of the dog, who shares the same ancestor with the wolf. Personally, I love wolves far more than dogs. It is always touching to hear stories of a dog being so loyal to its master that it never leaves, even when the master is dead. Nevertheless, I appreciate even more the wolf's loyalty – the loyalty between pack members and between male and female wolves. There is a saying that a wolf only has one lifelong companion. I am unsure if there is any law among wolves that constrains them to do so. However, in modern society, we humans sometimes lack loyalty even within the legal framework, always making one excuse or another. Is this the evolution that we are proud of?
In Chinese culture, we don't favor wolves. I can recall no pieces of literature that have a positive description of wolves, except for the martial novel "The Eleventh Son" written by Gu Long. Gu portrays the genius man as a lone wolf. When reading the novel, I am impressed by the man, the wolf-man. He is not the supernatural creature depicted in American series that turns into a wolf at the full moon. Instead, he is a man who has the spirit of a wolf—independent and submissive to no one and nothing, iron-minded, yet also tender. Another exception is Huawei, a Chinese high-tech corporation that respects the wolf culture a lot. The CEO, Ren Zhengfei, believes that wolves have a keen sense of smell, an offensive spirit, and a sense of community. Embracing this culture, Huawei has grown into a respected company. In Chinese history, the early Yuan Dynasty also fits this description and created a tremendous empire. I can't claim that the wolf culture is perfect, but it certainly compensates for some of the aspects that we lack.
After thousands of years, dogs are now kept as pets, while wolves remain wild.